


The City That Never Sleeps | Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess

by yellowbrickroad



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Inspired By Peaky Blinders, Romance, i feel like theyre star crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 63,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24903487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowbrickroad/pseuds/yellowbrickroad
Summary: Tommy Shelby is utterly heartbroken after he finds out Grace was a spy. During the two years they're apart, he tries to forget her and just when he begins the think he is successful, May invites him to New York. There, he meets the girl he has been trying to forget for the past two years. Story takes place during series 2 and before series 3 but I wanted to re-write how they find each other again because I feel as though the writers did not do their relationship justice.
Relationships: Grace Burgess/Clive Macmillan, Grace Burgess/Tommy Shelby, May Carleton/Tommy Shelby
Comments: 37
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I also publish these stories and more on tumblr and my username is @/possiamo-andare 
> 
> if anyone wants to, they can follow my account and see the rest of my work there!

Thomas Shelby was not the sort of man who cried at the smallest inconvenience. He would never tease any man who did, but that’s just not how he dealt with his problems. He was more of a ‘take the horse by the reins’ kind of man. This mentality had benefited him since he came back from the war. Whenever there was an issue, like the Lee men getting a little too comfortable at the Garrison or his father returning to Birmingham under the guise of adoration for his sons, he never reacted emotionally. He closed his eyes, imagined he was back in the thick dirt walls of the tunnel and devised a plan that would not backfire. And, for the most part, he always came out on top. As he was a Shelby and, more importantly, Tommy Shelby. He would not cry over spilled milk. 

That is, until he met Grace Burgess. At first, she was nothing more than a pretty barmaid who was a little too friendly and a little too interested in the family business. Looking back, Tommy should’ve known then. But he was in love, even if he didn’t want to admit it. And love blinded people, even Tommy Shelby. Grace made him feel things he hadn’t felt since before the war. She stopped the constant shovelling and quieted his racing mind whenever she was around him. One of Grace’s best attributes was that she was adventurous like him. Tommy needed someone who wanted to ride the same thrills as him and Grace did just that. She followed each plan he had happily and assisted him in every way she could, no matter the danger. She was his equal and that is what Tommy needed. He needed her and he thought she needed him. 

When he found out that she was a spy, Tommy fell apart. His notions of not crying and ‘taking the horse by reins’ quickly dissolved. The first month without Grace was a complete haze. He barely spoke and just worked along Arthur and John. He never instructed them or bossed them around and they knew why. Tommy was different and it was because Grace betrayed him. When Tommy wasn’t in the company of his family or friends, he was in his room and he was crying. He never would weep loudly (god forbid Polly heard anything and went to New York to kill Grace herself), but he would weep hard and scream into his pillow. He cried until his throat burned and he cried until he heard Grace’s voice call out for his name. He thought his mother’s death was hard but he never experienced a loss like this, and Grace wasn’t even dead. To heal properly, Tommy swore to himself that although he would never stop loving Grace, he had to push past his feelings for her. His brothers needed him. Polly needed him. There were people that depended on him. He couldn’t let them down. 

Then, a year later, Tommy got devastating news. Grace was getting married. She had already moved on. He was a rich banker and lived in New York with her. He had no idea how they met or why she decided to marry him, but she had. If her leaving hadn't broken Tommy, this definitely did. Here Tommy was, still devastated over Grace’s betrayal, and she had already moved on and gotten married. The only reason he had found out was because she had written him a letter. She had always written him letters after she left but he rarely opened them and instead burned them. But, when he got that letter, he opened it. He had felt a weight in the envelope and was curious as to what she could have sent to him. As if the letter wasn’t enough, confirming that she indeed had gotten married to a kind man (her words), she also attached a picture of herself. It was newly taken and she had aged in that year but she had done so beautifully. Her hair was pinned up and she wore a striped blouse, two things he had never seen her do before. The Grace he knew from Birmingham rarely wore anything bold like stripes and he didn’t think he had ever seen her with her hair up. She looked more refined and more mature in just that one year. Tommy knew what this meant. She was a true woman now. She loved him too and she would never stop but she was married now and was mature now. They were not the same children they were last year. Tommy had to try and move on.

Soon, without Tommy realizing it, one year turned into two. Tommy had excelled at the ability to push down his feelings and was no longer the man he was when he was with Grace. He thought of her every second of every day but it no longer felt painful but bittersweet. This wasn’t the biggest improvement but Tommy only occasionally cried over Grace and that definitely was an improvement. 

When May Carleton entered the picture, Tommy knew she would be a good distraction. Lizzie was a distraction but he still thought of Grace as he fucked Lizzie. May was different. She was quick witted and funny. She was beautiful. She would never compare to Grace but she would do. She didn’t need to fix him, she just needed him to forget Grace. And, as his business with May ventured into a romantic partnership, she was helping him dull the memory of Grace. Tommy knew the memory of Grace would never be gone but he wasn’t trying to erase Grace, only dull her.

Then, just as he started to feel a little better, May invited him to New York. There was a race horse that she needed his opinion on. At first, he didn’t want to go. He had just signed a deal with Alfie who he could tell was only loyal to the person who paid him the highest and Campbell was pressuring him to kill the Lieutenant. He was in the most stressful situation of his career and he didn’t think Arthur could handle it by himself for even two weeks. As he explained to May his situation in person, she persisted. 

“Tommy, please. You owe me. You know you do.” May pleaded, locking her suitcase. The boat left for New York tomorrow.

“May, there’s just too much to do in Birmingham.” Tommy stood his ground but he could feel himself caving in. He knew he deserved a vacation.

“Tommy Shelby,” May started, playfully eyeing him. “You will not argue with me.” This reminded him so much of Grace, he felt himself tearing up. 

Tommy finally caved. It was way too much effort to argue with May. She had her mind made up and that was that. When Tommy told Arthur, he was surprised to see how his brother reacted. Arthur was delighted to hear Tommy was taking a small vacation. Arthur knew that ever since Grace, Tommy had not rested. His brother may have thought he could hide his emotions but Arthur could read Tommy like a book. Arthur was convinced that this trip would be crucial in Tommy’s recovery. It had been two years but Tommy still acted as if it happened only yesterday. The only thing that had improved was that Tommy was getting better at hiding it. 

Polly was the only one who was unwilling to let Tommy go. Tommy had told her the plan and about the award winning horse May had told him about and although Polly was happy there was something Tommy was excited over, she still was worried. Tommy could tell and asked for her to voice her grievances. 

“She lives in New York.” Polly said coldly and Tommy instantly knew who she was referring to. 

Grace lived in New York with her husband. He had thought the same thing but doubted he would ever run into her. It was New York, the biggest city in the world. Besides, he would be mostly in the barn while Grace lived in the financial district. There was a one in a million chance they would meet. Although he was afraid to be in the same city as her, he knew nothing would come of it and he made sure to promise Polly that nothing would happen. Although she was still skeptical, she gave her blessing to Tommy. She loved him and trusted him.

So, with Arthur and Polly’s blessing, Tommy boarded a boat at Liverpool headed to New York. The entire trip to New York took four and a half days. Before the newest advances in technology, it would’ve taken fifteen days but now, with ships dominating long-distance passenger movements, it cut the time in less than half. Those four and a half days were wildly uneventful. The entire time, May was too busy with her dead husband’s business in New York to speak to Tommy. They had dinner once the entire trip to New York and the rest of the time, she was in meetings. This left Tommy with a lot of spare time. Most of it consisted of watching the sky as the boat passed hundreds of white clouds. He sometimes stood close to the ledge and watched as the boat cut the waves in half and pushed through the currents. With all this time to think, it drove Tommy a little mad. The shovelling had returned in his mind after Grace left and now was only getting loud as he let his mind wander. He thought of Grace and of the war. He thought of Arthur and Polly. He thought of Finn and John. He thought until it made him feel nauseous. Going inside didn’t help. When he left the upper deck and went back to his quarters on the ship, he only slept and dreamed vividly. In his eyes, dreaming was worse than thinking. When you think, at least you have some control. When you dream, you have none. He dreamt of Grace at her wedding. She was wearing a beautiful ivory dress that cascaded down the steps of the church. He dreamt of her walking down the aisle, bouquet in one hand and her other arm around her uncle. She was smiling brightly at him and Tommy felt himself bubbling over, ready to cry any minute. This was his wedding with her. The wedding he wanted. Where Grace wasn’t married and everything had worked out the way he wanted. He always woke up from that dream sweaty and his heart racing because he always woke up before he got to seal the marriage with a kiss. 

Finally, May and Tommy docked at New York. With only their luggage in their hands, Tommy and May hailed a taxi which took them to the hotel May had booked for Tommy. Besides the traffic, Tommy found New York very fascinating. It truly was a city that never slept. It was always working and bustling, never letting a small problem set it back. In some ways, New York was similar to Tommy. 

May’s prior husband owned a ranch and May told Tommy that was where she was staying. She had offered a place for Tommy to stay at the ranch but Tommy had declined the offer. His mind was too busy to properly pay attention to May. Coming to New York had brought up unresolved feelings Tommy had for Grace and he felt as though he was cheating on May every time they spoke, even though they were not together and Grace was no longer his.

When Tommy had settled into his hotel room, he went to bed. It wasn’t particularly late and he still was craving the taste of some whiskey but he was too tired to call for room service. His brain had been working over time and he just prayed that he would not dream tonight. But he did. This time, he didn’t dream of his wedding with Grace. He dreamt of himself on a farm that was not familiar to him. His feet sunk underneath the soil as he stepped forward. The fog lifted away and there stood Grace, in a white blouse and red skirt. She stood beside a black horse. She smiled at Tommy and he felt himself run forward but the faster he ran, the farther away Grace got. Finally, he stopped and yelled Grace’s name; his voice coarse. She didn’t respond and only smiled at me, beckoning for him to come to her. Before he could take a step forward, Tommy was awoken in a cold sweat. He’s panting and his heart is racing. He looks to the clock in the corner of his room and notices it is 4am. He knows he can’t fall back asleep. Even if he could, he would not want to. He doesn’t want to think about Grace.

Tommy spent the rest of the day drinking whiskey and smoking and occasionally reading the paper, trying not to let his mind wander to the woman he doesn’t want to think about. Finally, after hours of smoking and drinking, Tommy starts to get ready. The entire time Tommy gets ready, he is focusing on the horse and his itinerary for the day. Every time Grace popped in his mind, he swallowed the image of her and focused on May. When he was finished dressing, he went down to the lobby of the hotel and checked his pocket watch. May told him she would pick him up at 5pm. 

As Tommy waited, he watched out of the window. He observed the already bustling city with men in proper suits running down the sidewalk with briefcases and women with short skirts latching onto their husband’s arm, laughing hysterically at something he said. Tommy is beyond surprised. Nothing will compare to New York. No matter the time of day, these people will be busy with their lives, whether that be actually working or partying. If Tommy knew anything about New York, he knew the parties were outrageous. He promised himself that he would go to a club tonight, with or without May. He was only staying in New York for a day before getting back on the boat back to Liverpool so his logic was that he might as well make the most out of it.

Finally, May’s car pulled up in front of Tommy’s hotel. Discreetly, Tommy entered the car, not even bothering to say good morning. He had a rough morning before he even spoke to May and seemed to be in a bad mood. May instantly noticed his mood and scoffed under her breath, still smiling.

“My ranch Will.” May says to her driver before looking back at Tommy. “Good afternoon to you too.”

Tommy showed no emotion, only nodded to show her that he had heard what she said. After moments of silence, he spoke, “Have you named the horse?”

May looked to her lap where her purse lay. “No. Would you like to?”

Tommy only cracked a small smile but looked away from May and instead looked out the window and watched many buildings pass from beside him. “Yes.”

May chuckled. “And what would you like to name her?”

Tommy only glanced at May for a second before closing his eyes contently. “Grace.”

May, of course, knew nothing of Tommy’s past life or his past love so she only reacted happily. “Hm. Seems religious.”

Tommy indignantly shook his head. “No. Just someone who means something to me.”

May did not indulge the man before her and thought nothing of it. She only nodded, thinking it was the name of a family member before even considering it was the name of Tommy’s true love.

When they finally arrive at the ranch, Tommy smiles genuinely for the first time. The first thing he sees is a bunch of women riding side-saddle in a row. There seems to be a lesson going on and Tommy can’t help but scoff. May notices his scoff and only speaks to him once she gets out of the car and stands beside Tommy.

“What’s so amusing?” May walks forward, across the path to the barn. Tommy falls in step beside May.

“You teach these women to ride side-saddle?” Tommy asks, still bemused greatly as he watches all of these young women focus so intently on something so simple.

“Their husbands pay us a great deal of money, so yes we do.” May nods, waiting at the door for Tommy to open it for her.

Tommy obliges, opening the door for May. She nods her head in an effort to say thank you and Tommy nods back, a smile no longer visible on his face. May continues to speak to Tommy about the horse she wants him to examine and Tommy only listens to her for a while before he is interrupted. He has not even made his way through the threshold of the door before he hears a familiar voice call his name. 

“Tommy?”

Tommy pivots quickly, recognizing the voice right away. Grace. He thinks his mind is playing tricks on him but that is disproven quite quickly when he comes face to face with the woman he hasn’t seen in two years. She’s even more beautiful than before. The picture she sent him did not do her justice. Even the way she is carrying herself is different. She stands tall as she watches Tommy, confident as hell. He can see the bewilderment in her eyes, scared to see if he will cuss her out or kiss her. He wants to do the latter but he can’t. She’s married. She moves forward tentatively, closer to Tommy. Although she is wearing chunky brown boots, her clothes are so elegant. She’s wearing a green skirt that touches her shins and a white blouse tucked into her skirt. She has a white shawl wrapped around her body because of the breeze and she looks ethereal. Her hair, although pinned up, is even more wavy than before and is shorter. Although she looks stunning, the bling on her ring finger is what catches Tommy’s gaze. 

He swallows harshly. “Grace.” He says it in a way that makes it more of a statement of disbelief. 

She nods. “Hello.” There is a long moment where they are just looking in each other’s eyes and wasting precious moments before she speaks again. She knows Tommy will not speak first. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to examine a racing horse.” Tommy states, his breath just above a whisper.

Grace smiles, bemused. “You haven’t changed then.”

Tommy wants to smile but he knows he can’t. This entire encounter is bringing him too much pain. “You have.” He says defiantly, nodding towards her ring.

Grace frowns and looks down at her ring before looking back at Tommy. “He’s a kind man.”

Tommy rolls his eyes slightly. “A kind man who you never told that you can ride a horse.”

Grace frowns even more. “There’s some things as a wife you need to let your husband indulge in. You wouldn’t understand.”

Tommy’s heart hurts for her and he knows it is stupid. He can’t help it. He still loves her. He never stopped. He wants to tell her right then that he hasn’t spent one second of everyday thinking about her. He wants to tell her he has spent days on end dreaming of her and what their wedding would look like. But he can’t. He has to remember that she is no longer his. She never was. 

“You’re right. I don’t understand.” Tommy agrees with Grace.

“Tommy -” Grace starts before sighing and reaching out to him to grab his hand. “I wrote you so many letters.”

Tommy nodded. “You know I couldn’t answer.” He grasps her hand tightly, this small action already calming the storm that has been brewing for two years.

Grace nods. “I know. I just -” She doesn’t want to finish but then she takes a deep breath and speaks again. “I wish we fell in love under different circumstances.”

Although he wants to be angry and cold, he knows there’s no point. He has already forgiven her. He forgave her the second he found out. Mostly because he knows that Grace feels the same way, whether she has married someone or not. He tried to convince himself through those past two years that maybe she moved on and he was the one that fell too deep but the feelings were mutual. She has been suffering as much as he has. 

Then, Tommy does something stupid. “I’m only here for today. I’m at the Rockefeller Hotel.” He knows he shouldn’t and he thinks maybe Grace will slap him in the face for suggesting she come alone to his hotel room but she doesn’t. 

She smiles. “I’ll come tonight; around 8pm.”

“Tommy?” May’s voice comes from behind him. She steps out of the barn and watches intently as Grace and Tommy take two steps away from each other and let go of each other’s hand. 

“Hm?” Tommy says as nonchalantly as he possibly can. “Sorry, I was just speaking to -”

“Hello.” Grace speaks up, a little flustered. Although she was caught off guard, she also wants to know why this beautiful woman knows Tommy. She knows she has no right to be jealous but she is anyways. 

May makes eye contact with Grace and extends her hand. Grace shakes it, smiling brightly. “I’m May Carleton.”

“She’s my business associate.” Tommy pipes in as the ladies let go of each other’s hand. 

Grace watches as May glares at Tommy and Grace instantly registers the tension. She realizes that even if Tommy does not think they are serious, May definitely has feelings for Tommy. Although this makes her blood boil, she has to realize she can’t judge because she’s married but still talking to the man she truly loves.

“Grace Burgess.” She decides against using her husband’s last name. He’s not here and definitely not her property; although he might think he is sometimes.

May gives Tommy a look of astonishment. Finally, the dots connect as to what this woman means to Tommy and how she should be worried. Of course, Grace doesn’t understand why May is so astonished but she ignores her as she watches Tommy uncomfortably shift in his stance. She can feel the tension get thicker and thicker and before anything can get too explosive, she tries to make a quick getaway.

“Well, it was lovely meeting you May. And you Tommy. Have a wonderful day.” Grace nods quickly before turning on her heels and leaving that encounter a little breathless. Not only can she believe she’s seen Tommy after all this time, but also that it is as if nothing has changed. He still makes her feel as breathless as when they first met. As she walks back to her lesson, she smiles so widely. Maybe they can be saved. 

“That’s the Grace.” May said, a little breathless with a hint of jealousy. She knew she had no chance against the woman Tommy had affectionately named an award winning horse over. 

"Indeed." Tommy says, watching as the woman he never stopped loving walks farther away. "Let me take a look at that horse."

May understood Tommy was trying to change the topic, unprepared to see the two women he was involved with come face to face. All she could think about was Grace as she watched Tommy examine her horse that was now ‘affectionately’ named after the woman he loved the most. May never had to work for a man’s attention and she was not about to start now. In the end, she knew Tommy had to choose and, although she doesn’t want to admit it, she knows who Tommy will choose. May has to convince herself that even if he doesn’t choose her, she will be okay. She recovered after her husband’s death (something she never thought she would do) so she believes that she can get over Tommy. She cares for him but she’s an independent woman not ready to fight for anyone that would not do the same for her. 

Once Tommy had examined the horse thoroughly and gave the stableman a gruff nod, he looked back to May. He could see the wheels turning in her mind and he wanted to calm her. He wanted to tell her not to worry and that Grace was an old flame that meant nothing to him but he couldn’t. He couldn’t lie to May because he respected May.

Instead, he said, “She’s a reliable thoroughbred and a fine racing horse. I’ll help you get the paperwork once we’re back in Birmingham.” Tommy stepped forward, closer to May who was now standing beside the threshold of the door.

May nodded solemnly, moving away from Tommy and through the door. She couldn’t bear to look at him, scared his eyes would tell her something she didn’t want to admit yet. Tommy followed her out of the barn, not looking at her as he did but instead towards the field where the women still stood, now combing their horses. His eyes scanned the entirety of the farm, as far and wide as his eyes could see, trying to find the blonde woman he hadn’t forgotten about even two years later. Unfortunately, she was no longer there. Tommy’s eyes traveled back to May, who was now getting back into her car. She had yet to say even two words to Tommy and he knew why. She knew the truth about Grace and what she meant to him. There was no point in Tommy denying it either.

When they got back into May’s car, she finally spoke but not to Tommy. “The Cotton Club, Will.”

Tommy finally looked May in the eyes. “The Cotton Club?” He asked in confusion.

May nodded, her face contorted in confusion. It was almost as if he didn’t want to party. That was not the Tommy Shelby she knew. “Yes. It’s a speakeasy jazz music night club located in Harlem.”

Tommy nodded, not wanting to tell May he couldn’t go but knowing he would have to. He had made his decision already. He chose Grace. Every time. “I can’t.”

This time, May’s face contorted from confusion to indignation. She instantly knew why. It was her. “It might not be as tremendous as the Garrison but it is an interesting place.” She thought maybe some convincing would help her case but when she saw his face, she knew it was no use.

Tommy shook his head, a small grunt forcing out through his nose. “Although I appreciate the invitation; I can’t.” With that, Tommy looks away from May and to the window where the environment is slowly turning back to city buildings and not flat grasslands.

May nods, glancing at her hands. They’re in her lap and she has them clasped together, restraining any emotions she has towards this encounter. She can’t let him see her show any type of emotion. The only emotion she will show is anger. “It’s because of her, isn’t it?”

Tommy does not move. He continues to look out his window, his face a solemn expression. May is right but he is afraid if he shows the emotions he’s hiding, she’ll be even more upset with him. So, he stays quiet and that’s enough of an answer for May.

“Nevermind Will,” May calls, her driver now turning his head slightly, pretending as if he hadn’t been listening so far. “Take Mister Shelby back to his hotel.”

Tommy nodded, still looking at the window. The rest of their trip back to Tommy’s hotel was uneventful. Mostly due to the fact that they did not speak to each other. May was at a loss for words and Tommy’s entire personality was to enjoy the silence. And this time, for Tommy, there was true silence. The shovelling noise that usually pounded against his temples had quieted considerably. He knew who had to thank for that. And he planned to do so tonight.

Finally, when the driver reached Tommy’s hotel, he looked back to May for the first time since he got in her car. “Thank you for the lovely trip. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

May nodded, a scowl evident on her lips. Her eyes, although they looked cold, were tearing up in the corners. Tommy felt horrible. His gut was churning because he knew May was a good woman and she did not deserve this. Finally, she spoke, “I hope she knows…”

When she can’t continue, Tommy does it for her. “She does.”

May nodded quickly before looking at her lap. Tommy took this opportunity to get out of the car and shut the door behind him. He looked through the window and only when the car started it’s ignition over again did May look up with a smile on her face. She waved goodbye to Tommy and he did the same, watching the woman he deeply respected drive away. May was not the woman for him and she deserved someone who truly loved her. Tommy knew he couldn’t give that to her. In fact, he couldn’t give unconditional love to anyone until he got over Grace. 

~

Grace’s fingers were cold. As she applied her minimal makeup for the evening, she realized that only the tips of her fingers were colder than the rest of her hands. She placed her brush down and attempted to warm them up by rubbing them together, creating some friction. It only helped a bit but the second she picked up her brush, her fingers turned cold again. She finally realized why they were so cold; she was scared. Scared not only to lie to her husband but also to see Tommy again. They were in public last time and if anything happened, she would be at least a little protected but now they would be alone and although she was excited to see him, she couldn;t understand why he had forgiven her. Tommy Shelby, gang leader, killer and mastermind, had put the past in the past? Although this seemed plausible, she still was unsure. It had been two years, but was that enough time?

“That’s sure a lot of makeup for your aunt.” Clive, her husband, spoke from behind Grace. He came up right behind her and stroked her neck.

Grace could smell the alcohol from behind her. He was drunk, again. “I take pleasure in doing my face, sweetheart.”

In the beginning, Clive was kind. That’s how he wooed her. She was a pitiful mess, still crying over her relationship with Tommy ending and Clive was some type of crutch. He listened. Of course, she couldn’t tell him about Tommy but he had comforted her when she told him she was having a stressful day (code for missing Tommy) and he bought her an exuberant amount of gifts. He flattered her in every way possible and when, after only six months of courting, he asked her to be his wife she gladly accepted. He was nothing like Tommy and he would never compare to her first true love but he did an amazing job at letting her mind wander away from Tommy and to wedding planning. She still wrote Tommy letters. Even as she planned for her wedding and wrote her wedding vows. She knew this was not fair to Clive but she couldn’t help herself. Although she was not cheating on Clive with Tommy physically, she was cheating on him emotionally. He didn’t deserve this and Grace knew it.

Then, three months into their marriage, he would start yelling at her or getting a little too physical with Grace. He would call her dreadful names and push past her way too forceful, but Grace took it because her heart belonged to someone else and this was her punishment for betraying Tommy. When Tommy never responded, she realized he wasn;t reading her letters and she started writing about each harsh word her husband would say or every hurtful action and she felt a small amount of comfort writing everything down. She knew Tommy would never read it and it would eventually be lit on fire or tossed away so there was no harm done. This was a way to vent without speaking to anyone. 

When she saw Tommy that evening, her heart jumped to her throat. It was as if her entire life after leaving Birmingham was blurry and finally, Tommy came back to make everything clear again. And, the most surprising bit was that he seemed excited to see her. She was scared to see if he had moved on but the look in his eyes told Grace he hadn’t. It was so comforting for her to see his feelings mirrored hers. 

Clive leaned down and kissed her cheek. Grace tried not to gag. While Tommy smelled divine with the smell of tobacco, Clive smelled putrid. “Well, you look beautiful to me.” 

Grace forced a smile. “Thank you sweetheart.”

Clive moved away from his wife, stumbling a bit over their large carpet. Grace stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “Have a wonderful time dear.”

And with that, Clive was gone. Probably sleeping off the alcohol in the spare bedroom. Sometimes Grace wondered if there was something she was doing wrong because it seemed as if she was doing something to turn her husband off. Even though she hadn’t done anything yet. This was the first time they spoke all day. She had gotten up at the crack of dawn to go to the horse lessons he pressured her to go to and only now had he awoken from his nap to say hello and she supposed he’d go straight back to bed. She wanted to thank God for giving Tommy to her now but she didn’t want to seem cruel. In her life as of right now, she felt as though there was nothing to live for. She woke up most days disappointed that death hadn’t called her name during the night. But she was thankful tonight that death had been so gracious. 

~

Tommy was pacing the room. He had the entire evening planned and yet, here he was, rethinking his entire strategy. He wanted Grace back, that’s what he knew for sure. But did she? Had he mistaken the love in her eyes with greed? It was so hard to tell with Grace sometimes. She was his equal but at the same time, she was almost better than him sometimes. She had tricked the infamous Thomas Shelby, after all. Maybe this was another one of her tricks. Tommy shook his head, trying to stop the shovelling from getting louder and louder. With every passing second, he started to feel as though maybe he had made a mistake. Polly’s voice entered his mind, telling him that this was one of his worst ideas. He had just started to finally get over the woman that lived in his mind, rent free, and now he was about to welcome her into his hotel room to do God knows what. Initially, his mind went to sex. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Finally, someone knocked on the door. This stopped Tommy’s mind for a moment. He knew who it was and all the questions that were floating in his mind would be answered soon enough. With one swift movement, Tommy flung the door open, revealing Grace.

“Hello.” She said, a little breathless. Tommy had opened the door so fast that it caught her by surprise just a bit. 

It didn’t help Tommy to see how beautiful Grace looked. Once he took off her coat, it revealed a beautiful green dress with sequins covering her shoulders. The dress was long but elegant, stopped right before her ankles. Although a little loose, it still showed off what curves she did have wonderfully. Her makeup, although minimally applied, only enhanced her already dainty features. Her lips were a darker red and it killed Tommy knowing that her lips were right in front of him but he still couldn’t kiss her. If any colour belonged to Grace, it was green. And she knew that too. That’s why she wore it tonight. Tommy knew it would be harder to get upset at her when she looked so beautiful. 

“Hello.” Tommy replied coldly, moving to the parlor to sit down on the couch. His legs were growing weak and he knew if he looked at Grace any longer while he stood up, he would surely faint. 

Grace quietly followed behind him and took a seat on the couch to the right of him, clutching onto her purse for dear life. Barely any words had been spoken yet she knew they both sensed the tension growing between them. She was right; it would feel different between them when they were alone. 

“The horse you saw today,” Grace began, “what did you think of her?” She believed that maybe if they started their conversation off with niceties, then Tommy would feel relaxed enough to speak to her more about their relationship later on.

She was wrong. “She’s a good racing horse, but I doubt she’ll win more than five or six races.” All Tommy could think about while he spoke was the unanswered questions he still had for Grace.

Grace nodded, glancing at her purse then back to Tommy. “Then why did you come all this way to see her?”

Tommy leaned forward, clearly amused that Grace was so interested. He knew what she was trying to accomplish. “I wanted to see with me own eyes if she was truly just that adequate.”

Grace knew that the comment he just made had a double meaning. She bit the inside of her cheek, which was now turning red. “Maybe you came to prove something to yourself.”

Tommy looked at Grace, bemused. “And what would I have to prove?”

Grace shrugged her shoulders, noticing how Tommy’s voice sharpened at her comment. “Maybe that you didn’t need her anymore?”

Tommy chuckled this time. Grace wanted to take it as a good sign but she knew better. Their conversation was just getting started. “You know Grace,” Tommy said, lighting his cigarette for the first time. “I had this entire evening planned out tonight.”

Grace smirked, touching the clip in her hair. “And what did you plan?”

Tommy leaned back on the couch and took a long smoke. Finally, he spoke, “I was gonna tell you how I hadn’t stopped thinking about you. Then, I was gonna forgive you for everything you did and serve you about three whiskeys. Then, I was gonna sleep with you. But, just before you knocked on my door, I decided I wasn’t gonna do that.”

Grace knew Tommy was trying to be hurtful but she still couldn’t help but frown. Although she did frown, she recovered quickly and turned her frown into a scowl. “Really?”

Tommy nodded, taking another long drag of his cigarette. Although Grace indulged in the smell, she also didn’t want to be foolish and think with her heart. If Tommy was going to be hurtful, then so was she. 

“What makes you think I would get into bed with you after three whiskeys?” Grace scoffed, glancing toward the cabinet in the corner of the room where a glass full of whiskey and two glasses lay.

Tommy shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already decided I don’t want you anymore.”

Grace’s heart hurt. He was purposely trying to hurt her and Grace knew that but it didn’t make her heart hurt any less. “You decided?” Grace said, her voice raising already. When Tommy nodded, she continued. “Well I decided, Tommy, that no whiskey in the world would make me sleep with you. I’m married.”

When Grace brought up her marriage, it angered Tommy. He was yet again reminded of the union she was a part of. His anger turned into hurtful words again. “Then why are you here?”

Grace scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m here because -” She couldn’t say why. The reason she was here was because she still loved Tommy. She loved him more than her husband and she would choose him every time. But if she admitted that and Tommy had already moved on, her heart would break forever. 

Tommy leaned forward, wanting to hear the reason she came. “Why?”

Grace looked down and shut her eyes. “My husband is a kind man.” 

“Christ Grace!” This was not the answer he was looking for and Grace knew it. Tommy couldn’t sit any longer. He felt as if he was going to scream. This was not how he planned for his night with Grace to go. But he had been caught up in his own revenge because she had hurt him, he had forgotten why he truly wanted her to come here in the first place. 

Tommy quickly got up from his seat and strode away from Grace and to his room. He had hid some Snow in his luggage and he promised himself he would only use it during a stressful time. This was pretty damn stressful. Before he could properly look through his luggage, Grace entered the room. She stood at the threshold of the door and watched as Tommy haphazardly threw his clothes out of his luggage. She was quite frightened at the sight of a frantic Tommy; a sight she had never seen before.

“Tommy…” Grace said, her voice just above a whisper.

Tommy stopped for a moment and looked to Grace. He knew he was scaring her a bit and he tried calming himself down. His heart was racing. He could barely breathe all because the woman he loved the most would not admit to him that she loved him too.

“Sorry…” Tommy apologized, pushing the mess he made off his bed and onto the floor. He sat down on the edge of his bed, already very tired.

Now Grace was truly scared. Tommy rarely apologized and he definitely would never apologize for something that was not his fault. Finally, Grace stepped into the room and sat beside Tommy. Tentatively, she reached for his hand and he was too tired to pull away. 

When she felt him grasp a hold of her hand, she spoke, “Tommy, I’m so sorry.” Tears were sliding down her face so quickly, she barely had time to wipe them away. She didn’t want Tommy to see her cry but it was too late; he already had.

“Just tell me Grace,” Tommy said, his breath already becoming even again just from the simple action of Grace holding his hand. “Why did you come here?”

Grace took a deep breath, looking at the man she couldn’t stop thinking about, even after all those years. “I came because I love you Tommy. I always have.”

Tommy’s heart skipped a beat. Finally, she admitted it. Throughout their relationship, he had harboured the words of Campbell in his heart, telling him that no woman could ever love him. But now, the woman he was in love with loved him too. Tommy was supposed to be a man that never found happiness, but here in that hotel, with the love of his life holding his hand, he had. 

Tommy reached up to cup one side of Grace’s face. She was looking down at her lap but the second Tommy’s hand touched her cheek, they made eye contact. Slowly but surely, Tommy leaned forward and connected his lips with hers. It was as if those two years meant nothing. He felt as if they were back in the chapel, where they shared their first kiss. No time had passed and their lips rejoiced at the sensation of being connected again.

When they broke, Tommy finally spoke. “I love you.” His lips were burning and the pit of his stomach was fluttering like a school boy but he didn’t show it. With his jaw set, he didn’t give Grace time to speak before he pressed his lips back on her own.

Once again, minutes later, Grace broke the kiss this time and spoke to him. “I need you Tommy.”

Tommy nodded, his eyes boring into her own. He leaned down once again and this time, as he kissed her passionately, his hand roamed to her back where the zipper of her dress was. As they made love that night, they spoke nothing of the future, only soft “I love you’s”and grunts of each other's name. There was no talk of the future or Grace’s husband. Tommy didn’t want to think of what would happen afterward. He didn’t want to imagine Grace still going back to her husband after this. He just wanted to savour this moment with her, focusing on the positive for once in his life. Finally, when they both reached their ends, Grace was the first to speak.

“That lady, May. Is she yours?” Grace reached for the bedding to cover her and Tommy. She lay on his chest as he lay on his back. The sound of his heartbeat calmed her in ways she couldn’t explain.

Tommy shook his head. “She doesn’t deserve me.” The shoveling had stopped completely. Finally, he could truly rest. 

“Tommy Shelby,” Grace taunted, smiling widely at the man she loved so very much. “You are like this city that never sleeps. Get some rest and when you wake up, I will show you what you deserve.”

Tommy smiled genuinely. For the first time in two years, the silence comforted him. He was with the only woman he loved and for now, everything was perfect.


	2. Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of my first chapter which was my rendition of episode 4, series 2. Now, following my own story line with some of the original scenes, this is my recreation of episode 5, series 2.

Tommy Shelby was a punctual man. He was rarely late anywhere, especially when it came to business dealings. On the rare occasions that he was late, it was always because some type of trouble kept him from being on time. Grace was the same. Knowing this, Tommy felt his stomach churn as he glanced at the clock in his parlor. Grace was supposed to meet him ten minutes ago in his hotel room and yet, she was still not there. He was supposed to be on a boat from New York to Liverpool in only two hours and they had made plans to meet up for the last time. They had both discussed, as they lay in bed the night before, that Grace was to leave her husband. Not only was it fair to the man she wed, but her heart belonged solely to Tommy, as his heart did to her. They would meet at noon and devise a plan involving Grace leaving her husband but, as Tommy watched the clock strike 12:13, he realized she might not come. The entire night before, after he rose from his nap, she expressed her guilt and her betrayal toward her husband. Now, the image of Grace still at home with her husband flashed through his mind. Was she not coming?

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Tommy let out a sigh of relief. She had come. He raced to the door and opened it, a little too eagerly. There, on the other side of the door, stood Grace in all her glory. A nervous smile lay across his lips as she greeted Tommy with a hug. He pulled her in close, reveling in her perfume. He smiled as his back bent and his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck; she was wearing lemon verbena which was her favourite scent. He was the first to let go, becoming increasingly aware that they were not hugging behind closed doors but basically in the hotel hallway. Tommy grasped onto her right hand and pulled her forward, into his room, and closed the door behind her. 

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Grace apologized, the same nervous smile on her lips. “It took forever to get away from Clive. He’s been asking more questions lately.”

Tommy shook his head, still holding onto her hand. “No, he’s not Grace. You’re paranoid.”

Grace let go of Tommy’s hand, walking past him and sitting down on the same couch she sat on last night. One night could change everything. Last night, she sat on this couch to see if Tommy and her could rekindle their romance and now, she was planning to leave her husband. “Rightfully so. I’m a terrible wife.”

Tommy followed behind Grace and sat beside her, his arms wrapping around her body in an attempt to comfort her. “Grace, listen to me -”

Grace shook her head, pushing Tommy away and putting her face in her hands. She feels tears slide down her face, wetting her hands. “All I do is betray the people that love me.”

Tommy shook his head, pulling Grace’s hands away from her face. They made eye contact for a moment before she shut her eyes. “Grace, you would be betraying him if you stayed with him. No man wants to be with a woman that doesn’t love him.”

Grace opened her eyes and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “The things he would do if he knew…” She was supposed to say this under her breath but instead it was loud enough for Tommy to hear.

This comment startled Tommy. He felt his chest tighten as he reluctantly asked Grace, “What has he done before?” Grace looked to her lap, fidgeting with her purse. Tommy’s stomach flipped, knowing the answer might not be a positive one. “Grace, tell me.”

“Tommy…” Grace sighed, finally looking her love in the eye. “He’s never struck me if that’s what you think. He drinks excessively and sometimes shoves me aside too hard but he’s a kind man.”

“Kind?” Tommy exclaimed, standing up from his seat beside Grace. He moved to the phone in the corner of the room. 

“What are you doing?” Grace questioned, following behind Tommy. Before he could grab the phone, her hands were already over it, stopping him from touching it. “What are you doing?” She asked again, this time with more force.

“I’m not leaving you here with that bastard. I’m calling May to tell her to cancel my ticket. We’ll go to Birmingham together.” Tommy said, lifting Grace’s hand off the phone and grabbing it himself. 

“Not a chance in hell. You’re not dropping your entire life to save me. I don’t need saving.” Grace said, grabbing the phone from his hands and putting it back where it belonged.

“Grace -” Tommy started but was cut off by the blonde.

“No Tommy,” Grace stubbornly said, taking a hold of both of Tommy’s hands. “I can handle Clive. Arthur, John, and Polly need you. You’re their glue, Tommy.”

Tommy acknowledged this solemnly. He knew she was right. Especially with everything going on, regarding his new plans with Alfie, Arthur could not handle it by himself. He knew Alfie’s history and knew that Arthur was weak without Tommy. The longer Tommy was away, the more of a chance Alfie betrays Arthur. Tommy was the only one who knew how to handle Alfie. As much as it pained him to do so, he needed to leave New York today. 

“I’ll be okay Tommy.” Grace reassured him, cupping his face in her hands. She forced him to look at her and when he did, she’s smiling at him. “Please go.”

Tommy reluctantly saluted. “I’ll send you a ticket so you can meet me. The second you get it, leave. Whether you have to leave in the middle of the night or when Clive is gone from work, please leave.”

Grace leans forward, giving Tommy a chaste kiss. “I would. Call me when you can.”

Tommy did not speak but instead wrapped his arms around Grace, trying to protect her from everything that had happened to her and would happen. He wished his arms were made of steel, ricocheting any danger that was to come her way. He realized that Grace was right; if only they met under different circumstances. But would they have fallen in love any other way? Their encounters in New York proved that no matter where they were, heaven or hell, they would always find their way back to each other. 

~

“You seem more distracted than usual.” May commented, sitting beside Tommy. 

They had been at sea for two days already and Tommy had said a total of two words to her. At first, she suspected he was stressed with everything that might be going on in Birmingham but the more she observed him, the more she realized that business was not occupying his mind. May was very intuitive that way. She could tell, by one small change in a person’s facial feature, how they were feeling. With Tommy, May found him harder to read but the more she observed, the more she learned. When business occupied his mind, his face would twist in knots and give him headaches. This caused him to drink even more than usual. During their trip back to Liverpool, he hadn’t had a single drink, locked himself in his quarters, and the maids gossiped to her how they heard him up at 2am pacing his room; something she never saw him do before.

Tommy only acknowledged her presence, glancing at her for a moment but then returning his gaze back to the ocean. Although he wanted to be polite to the woman who brought him back to Grace, May was extremely perceptive and could possibly already tell what was bothering him. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings any further so he decided the less he talked about his worry for Grace, the better. It only made May’s probing into his problems worse because the silence on his end was deafening.

“Tommy,” May called, finally standing in front of Tommy’s view as a way to try and get his attention. “What is bothering you?”

“Business.” Tommy sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. The shoveling was starting again and he couldn’t help but believe it was because of all the worry over Grace and her well being. 

May chuckled. “Business makes you drink Tommy. You haven’t touched even a drip of whiskey.” Finally, with that last comment, May realized what was bothering Tommy. “Is it her?”

Tommy didn't answer and only shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This gave May enough of an answer. Her heart dropped. Even when she spoke to him, he was still thinking of her. Was he even thinking of her as they kissed? 

Tommy sighed. “Please May.” 

He was beyond tired. He barely had gotten any sleep over the past two days. He was dying to know not only how the business was doing while he was gone, but, more importantly, how Grace was handling herself. Tommy loved being in control and when he wasn’t, it caused him to become severely nervous. He drank the nerves away (that’s why he loved Irish whiskey so much) but he wouldn’t let himself get drunk. He needed his mind sharp when he got off the boat because there were so many things for him to do. He had to book a ticket for Grace, catch up on what had happened at Shelby Company Ltd (on and off books) while he was gone, and look after his race horse. The first and last tasks were relatively easy. The ticket was not expensive and Tommy trusted May to look after the horse for the majority of the time but the second task would be complicated. Not only would Tommy have to catch up on the Shelby business, he would also have to catch up on the off book business interactions such as Alfie's intentions and Campbell's orders. To say Tommy did not have time to deal with May would be an understatement. 

"I just want you to be happy Tom." May whispered, too proud to admit it aloud.

Tommy still heard her though. As she said this, he looked up and finally made eye contact with May. "Same for you."

May nodded, clearly content that things didn't end bitter but still upset. As much as she wanted to be happy for Tommy, she couldn't be happy fully knowing that she had been used and once his true love came along, he disposed of her rather quickly. May wished, just for a moment, that Grace was back because she had a few parting words for the woman who bewitched Tommy Shelby. 

"Oh Tommy Shelby," May chirped, making her way to the door which led to the lower deck of the boat. "You are one confusing individual."

For the first time in two days, Tommy's lips turned up in a small smile. "Goodbye May."

Tommy knew he would see May again. In fact, he counted on seeing her multiple times after today considering she would be looking after his race horse but he knew it would not be the same. They were strictly business associates now. And although he would've loved to dwell on the past, Tommy had to focus on the future. Tommy thanked the stars that Grace was now going to be a part of that future.

The rest of the trip back to Liverpool consisted of Tommy devising plan after plan. Before he sailed from New York, he had called Arthur for an update and he was surprised to know that everything had been surprisingly uneventful. Alfie was on his best behaviour (as much as he could be) and Arthur mentioned nothing about Campbell, which Tommy took as a good sign. Although Arthur reassured Tommy everything would be fine, he knew a lot could happen in four days as Tommy sailed from New York to Liverpool. Tommy’s worst case scenario was that in the past four days Tommy was out at sea, Alfie had betrayed Tommy and started working with Sabini and Campbell had followed through with his threat to hurt the people Tommy loved if he didn’t complete the assassination soon. As the boat finally docked in Liverpool on the fourth day, Tommy was ready to race back to Birmingham and get as many updates as he could. He had been away from work for way too long and yearned to get his hands dirty again. May had other plans.

“Care for a drink at my house?” May asked as Tommy helped her carry her bags to a car waiting outside for her.

Tommy shook his head, not answering her. He didn’t want to be rude but Tommy had "bigger fish to fry." In this case the “fish” happened to be blood thirsty officers of the Crown. When he didn’t respond to May, she only rolled her eyes. She could feel Tommy’s nerves radiate off himself and influence everyone around him. This was why she found herself considerably stressed on her trip back to Liverpool. 

“Tommy,” May chided, grabbing onto his arm and stopping Tommy in his tracks. Finally, he made eye contact with May. As they stood on the docks of Liverpool, May spoke. “Call Arthur. After he tells you everything is alright, then come have a drink with me.”

Tommy sighed, finally giving into her wishes. Although very reluctant to engage in a casual conversation with a woman who, only last week, he was pursuing a romantic relationship with, he ignored his better judgement and nodded. Tommy set down his and May’s luggage and said, “I’ll be right back.”

As he left May at the dock near her car, Tommy walked in the opposite direction to the crimson telephone booth. He kept his head down and took long strides forward, trying not to draw any attention to himself. He started to feel a tightness in his throat, something he hadn’t been aware of until now. Although he no longer believed in God, he prayed that everything had been fine without him and his family was not in danger of any sort. And if they were, he would blame himself. Although they were a part of the Peaky Blinders, they had no idea about the business between Campbell and Tommy. If they suffered because of him, Tommy would never forgive himself. Finally, he got to the only red booth, thankful that there was no line outside of the booth. He fished out a coin from his coat pocket and inserted it, then spoke into the receiver to the operator. He quickly demanded that they put him through to 0892 in Birmingham, the number Arthur’s desk at Shelby Company Ltd. 

“Hello?” The voice on the other side answered abruptly. 

Tommy’s blood ran cold. It was not Arthur who answered but Polly. “Pol?”

“Oh Tommy!” Polly exclaimed. Tommy’s stomach sank. Polly seemed thrilled Tommy was on the other side of the phone, something the woman never had done before. “Something terrible has happened.”

“What is it Pol?” Tommy asked nervously. He gulped, bracing himself for whatever Polly was about to say to him. Instead she unintelligibly blubbered on, crying into the phone. After a few minutes of this, Tommy grew restless. “Pol!”

Polly immediately stopped, sniffling back tears, and finally answering Tommy. “They arrested Arthur and Michael. They’ve been rounding up some of our men and most have gone into hiding.”

Tommy’s mind went blank. Arrested? Then, his brows went up in surprise. “Who did?” He already knew the answer but wanted Polly to reaffirm what he already knew to be true.

“The coppers!” Polly yelled, clearly annoyed that Tommy needed clarification. 

Tommy shook his head and rubbed the right side of his forehead. All he could think of was Campbell. That bastard. He had given his word not to get his family involved yet he arrested his brother, cousin, and so many of his men. So much for gentleman’s honour. Tommy felt played and he never allowed himself to be a pawn. Campbell would not get away with this, he promised himself that. By the end of this mission, Campbell would be dead.

“I just got off the boat Pol,” Tommy said, trying to calm down his aunt. “I’ll deal with it. Call a family meeting.” And with that, Tommy hung up, ready to gut Campbell like a fish.

~

“We had a deal.” Tommy said calmly, pushing the large wooden doors of the chapel open and revealing a relaxed Campbell who was reading the paper in one of the pews. When Campbell didn't respond, Tommy raised his voice. “Oi! We had a fucking deal!” Tommy quickly strode to the pew where Campbell was, raising his arms in the air. Campbell didn’t even flinch, continuing to read his newspaper.

Finally, when Tommy stood beside him, Campbell spoke. “I would thank you to moderate your language in a place of worship.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, the anger only stirring inside of him more. Finally, he snatched the paper from Campbell’s hands and flung it behind him. That time he leaned in close to Campbell and pointed a finger at him.“We had a fucking deal.” 

Campbell looked bemused, almost smug, and Tommy wanted to rip that bemused look from his face. “Mr Shelby. If you read the papers,” Campbell started, causing Tommy to roll his eyes and step away from the man. Tommy knew he was liable to strike him and he needed to remain calm or Campbell would win. “you might have seen that the Home Secretary has got himself a bit of a fizz about certain moral issues. Prostitution. Protection, racketeering, drinking, cocaine and, of course, gambling. And he's demanded results.”

Tommy shook his head, knowing that Campbell was just making excuses now. “You offered me protection. You promised me protection.”

The smug look on Campbell’s face turns to fake sympathy. “Well, no, you see, it was Mr Churchill that made you that promise. And the Home Secretary outranks him, so…” Tommy shook his head, pacing back and forth. The anger inside of him was relentless and he’s looking for any way to calm himself. “And I can hardly be blamed if your demented brother decided to go on some sort of blood orgy during dinner.”

Tommy snaps his neck and glares at Campbell when he used the word “demented” to describe Arthur. He leaped forward, his index finger in Campbell’s face. “Do not fucking lie to me. Do not sit here in your fucking church and lie to me!” They were face to face now, only a foot or so away from each other.

Campbell did not seem fazed by Tommy’s anger and only leaned forward a bit more and whispered, “You will need to contain your emotions or this meeting is at an end.” 

Tommy glared at Campbell and there was a long silence where they were just staring each other down, both waiting for the other to crack. Campbell was waiting for Tommy to back away from his face and Tommy was waiting for Campbell to quiver in fear. Eventually, Tommy was the one who made the first move, backing away from Campbell entirely.

Campbell smirked, the same smug features still taunting Tommy. “Good. That's better. So… Let us review the new situation. I have your brother in a prison cell, charged with the murder of Billy Kitchen. The case against him is strong. And I have no doubt that his destiny is to hang. And then there is Polly's son Michael. He has already admitted to helping Arthur burn down the Marquis Pub. Oh, he was a tough nut to crack, that boy. But crack he did. So I have your brother facing the noose. I have your cousin facing five years for arson. And I have your entire organisation in disarray in Birmingham and in London.”

Tommy dropped his head in defeat and, in the calmest tone he could muster, said, “What do you want?”

Campbell faked being confused and for a second all Tommy could see is red. “What do I want? I don’t understand.”

Tommy took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and continued. “I've already agreed to do your fucking killing for you. Now what is it you want from me?”

Campbell finally rose from his seat, struggling to do so because of his one lame leg. Tommy’s lips turned up in a smile for only a moment when he remembered how he got that injury. Once Campbell was standing, he spoke. “Oh. There you go, you see… An agreement is not the same thing as an assurance, now, is it?” Campbell grabbed his cane, moving from the pews to right in front of Tommy. “See, I found that I wasn't sleeping so well. And it wasn’t just that the smell and the noise in that room, no. It was the nagging doubt. The knowledge. The knowledge that Tommy Shelby is not afraid to die. And therefore, the threat to your own life might not be enough to make it certain that you will obey me on the given day. I needed also the power of life and death over your family and that I now have. Your brother, your cousin and your sister. I've known her address in Primrose Hill since the day she moved in. Now she is safe only as long as I want her to be. I've been ahead of you, every step of the way. And, as my father used to say, to make sure your dog obeys you, you have to show it the stick once in a while.”

Tommy said nothing as Campbell slowly made his way past Tommy and out of the chapel. Only when he was sure Campbell was gone did Tommy finally smile. Yes, his brother was in solitary confinement and Michael was in prison but Campbell couldn’t hurt Grace. He had no idea that him and Grace were still together and Tommy finally realized that she was what he had been missing from all his plans. Grace was his secret weapon. 

~

Tommy did not want to enter his home. The dark wallpaper that once comforted Tommy as a child, now only stirred anxiety within the mob boss. Tommy, as he earned his trade in dirty business, learned important lessons from many people. One was from a witch, who told Tommy how to sense when something bad was going to happen. As he entered his home, he got the same feeling he had been trained to recognize. 

He knew this was mostly due to the fact that any news that his family would have told him would not be good and any news he had for them would not be helpful. He also knew Polly was suffering, knowing her last surviving child was in prison and God only knew what was happening to him. Tommy wished he had better news for everyone but he doubted there would be for a while. When he entered his home, Polly was sitting at the kitchen table, on her third smoke since she sat down. The second she saw Tommy walk through the door she yelled for John, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the betting room with Finn and Esme both standing beside him. They all looked tremendously worried. Finn’s hands were clasped together and he couldn’t make eye contact with Tommy, Esme was comforting John, rubbing her hands over his shoulders, and Polly was a frantic mess. 

“John?” Tommy asked, standing in front of the table. John couldn’t look at him for a moment. Nobody seemed to want to look at Tommy, for fear that their eyes would say something they didn’t want Tommy to know. 

Finally, John looked up at his brother. “Coppers have lifted 10 of our men in Camden town, the rest of them on the run.”

Tommy nodded, glancing at Finn for a moment. He was going to try and comfort his little brother but before he got the chance to make any move toward Finn, Finn spoke first. “Tom, they've taken Michael.”

Tommy looked at his troubled brother and solemnly nodded, holding his hand in the air to silence the boy. “Business first.”

Polly scoffed, finally getting out of her seat in the kitchen and walking through the threshold of the door. “They took Michael last night.”

“Polly, business first!” Tommy raised his voice, holding his hand in the air in Polly’s direction now, trying his best to calm her down. Polly rolled her eyes and proceeded to lean on the frame of the door, watching every move Tommy made. Then, Tommy looked back to John, nodding for him to continue. “John.”

John looked to the floor again, his eyes red. “They took all our whiskey. So no doubt they'll be supping that for Christmas. They've impounded all our vans, put their own locks on the warehouse. The Eden Club and all our pubs have been raided by the coppers and handed back to Sabini and Solomons. The Black Country boys think it was Arthur who killed Billy because that's what the coppers told them. So there'll be no more free passes for our whisky boats.”

Tommy sunk his head in defeat. This was exactly what he was worried about when he first went to New York. Alfie and Sabini knew how vulnerable the Peaky Blinders would be without Tommy for two weeks and they took advantage of that. Not to mention, it was Campbell’s fault Michael and Arthur were in prison. Before Tommy could have said anything, Polly interrupted John yet again.

“I don't give a fuck about whisky. I don't give a fuck about Billy Kitchen. I want my son out of prison now.” Polly demanded, finally entering the room and making her way toward Tommy. 

Tommy tried not to roll his eyes. Polly was acting very emotionally which was out of character for her. She was a woman who always acted even-tempered, whether there was danger or not. Tommy knew that Michael was Polly’s only weak spot. Tommy looked to Polly for a moment, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Esme interrupted what would have been a fight between Tommy and Polly. 

“Thomas, I spoke to Johnny Dogs.” Esme said, finally walking forward, her hand on the table. 

Polly glared at Esme, challenging her to speak again. “This meeting should just be family.”

Esme frowned, looking to Tommy who was interested in what she had to say. When Tommy nodded, allowing her to continue to speak, she said. “I can help.”

Although Tommy was interested in what she had to say, Polly was not and continued to interrupt Esme. “It's family only, she's not blood.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, getting fed up with Polly. He understood how difficult it might be to see her only son in prison but if anyone had a good idea right now, Tommy was willing to listen whether they were blood related or not. “Let her speak.” Tommy said, glancing to Polly before looking back at Esme.

Polly would not listen. She was too obsessed with getting Michael back so instead she continued. “Tommy! Or is this a business -”

“Enough!” Tommy screamed, shutting his eyes closed before slamming his hands on the table. Finally, everything seemed quiet. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Everything was too much. He needed Grace. He couldn’t do this without her. Finally, when he realized the silence was becoming deafening, he opened his eyes again and looked to Polly. “Enough, Polly.” He spoke calmly, even though his hands were shaking. Polly registered his emotion and stayed quiet this time, letting Esme speak.

“I spoke to Johnny Dogs. The Lees are kin.” Esme began but before long, Tommy heard Polly scoff yet again. Today was not a good day to get on Polly’s bad side. 

“The bloody Lee’s?” Polly yelled, exasperated. She knew the Lee men and what they were capable of. For all she cared, they could rot. Never had the Lee men ever been kind to the Shelby’s and now, Esme thought it would be a brilliant idea to work alongside them?

“They can give us men.” Esme explained, starting to get annoyed at Polly’s erratic behaviour. 

“We don't need more fucking men. It's men that have done the damage. It is men fighting like cockerels that have put us here in the first place!” Polly exclaimed, waving her finger in the air as if to scold Esme.

Although Tommy did not particularly like the idea of working alongside the Lee men, especially when there were no backup plans involved, he had no choice. He, like Polly, would have to swallow his pride. They needed all the help they could get. 

Tommy looked to Esme. “Esme, I'll take up their offer. We need men.”

A silence washed over all of them. For a moment, no one spoke. Usually Tommy was always on Polly’s side since she knew best but Tommy could no longer trust Polly’s judgement. She was too emotionally involved. He could tell he had hit a nerve with Polly because the second he agreed with Esme, he could feel her eyes on him and she was glaring. 

Finally, Polly spoke and looked directly at Tommy. “If Michael ever gets out of prison, I am taking him away from this family, for good. This life is bad.”

Tommy couldn’t seem to breathe. Too much had happened and things weren't even over yet. He could tell Polly was not over with her relentless lecturing so Tommy excused himself before she had time to continue. He couldn’t bear another second of bad news. With a loud bang, he closed the door of John’s office and sat down in his chair, no longer able to handle the people outside. Finally, when Tommy was alone, he closed his eyes and concentrated on stopping the shoveling. Ever since he called Polly and got the terrible news, the shoveling had been progressively getting worse and now, his head pounded and was screaming aloud for help. Tommy glanced at the phone on John’s desk. He needed her. Without hesitation, Tommy grabbed the phone and dialed for the operator.

“2765 for New York City.” He breathed into the phone, his head throbbing.

The phone rang two times before someone on the other time picked it up and answered. “Hello?”

“Grace.” Tommy sighed, his mind instantly calming.

“Tommy? Is everything okay?” She whispered on the other side of the line.

Tommy twisted his brows in confusion. “Why are you whispering?”

Grace sighed. “Clive is asleep. It’s late Tommy.”

Tommy nodded, completely forgetting that they were in different countries as of right now. “I just wanted to check in on you.”

Grace sweetly giggled, her breath heavy. “Nothing is wrong.” 

Although Tommy wanted to believe her, he could sense something was wrong. He just knew Grace too well at this point. “Grace, tell me the truth.”

Grace sighed, taking a moment before continuing. “I fought with Clive. He’s been drinking too much.”

Tommy sighed this time, his headache only worsening when he heard of Grace’s problems. “I’m buying the ticket today. I’ll send it to you as quickly as I can.”

Grace cleared her throat. “I know Tommy. I love you. You keep me safe.”

Tommy beamed. “I will keep you safe.” And with that, he hung up. 

Tommy closed his eyes again, this time his headache only a little better. He wished for time to speed up and for Grace to get away from her husband. In times like these, where Polly was frantic and Arthur was locked up, he needed her the most. He needed her to be okay. When she was okay, he was and as long as she was with Clive, the shovelling would never stop. 

Tommy only opened his eyes when he heard the door of John’s office open. Thinking it was John, his eyes flew open but instead of John it was Polly. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips pursed. Realizing she was suspicious, Tommy sat straight up and pretended as if nothing was wrong. This only alarmed Polly even more, knowing how stressed Tommy was.

“Who were you speaking to on the phone?” Polly asked, standing in front of his desk.

Tommy stood up from his chair, not looking his aunt in the eye. “A business associate.” He had to lie to her for now. He knew she would be less than thrilled to know Grace, the woman who shattered his heart, was back in his life. 

As he walked past his aunt, she latched onto his bicep, stopping him from leaving. “It was her, wasn’t it?” Polly, although older than her nephews, was very perceptive and knew that there was exactly one person on this planet that made Tommy calm down so easily. It hadn’t been herself since Tommy was a child and the only person that was left was the barmaid that broke his heart.

“Leave me be.” Tommy ordered, not ready to hear the lecture she was sure to deliver. 

“You might have forgotten what she did, but not I.” Polly said, letting go of Tommy. He didn’t dare move but at the same time, he made no effort to look at her. “You need to be sharp. Michael and Arthur need you. You need to be focused on your family.”

Tommy looked at Polly defiantly. “She’s my family Pol.”

Polly rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “If you won’t help my son, then I’ll do it myself.” 

And with that, Polly walked out of John’s office. She seemed to be on some type of mission and Tommy had no idea where she would go or what trouble she would get into but he didn’t have time to care. He needed to buy Grace’s ticket, speak to the Lee men and find a way to get both Michael and Arthur out of jail. He needed a miracle right now and if Polly thought he would be unfocused, then he would have to prove her wrong.

~

Grace Burgess was a fighter. She always had been. When her father was still alive, he used to tell everyone how she would do great things because she was a fighter unlike any man he had seen on the battlefield. Of course, Grace always thought that was an over exaggeration on her father’s part but now, as she packed her bags, she realized maybe her father had a point. It took a lot of courage to put her heart on the line and move all the way back to Birmingham for a man that she hadn’t seen for two years until recently. But she was a fighter after all and would lay anything on the line for her happiness. 

“A lot of clothes for a two week vacation.” Clive smirked, roughly wrapping an arm around Grace. Grace could smell the alcohol wafting off of her husband. 

“My great uncle has many activities planned for me.” Grace explained, lying through her teeth.

This was the lie she made up. Her great uncle (who was already dead) had just gotten remarried last year and although she could not go for the wedding, she promised to come just for a couple of weeks to meet his new wife. Clive would expect her to come back after two weeks but the only thing that would be coming back to him in two weeks would be her wedding band and divorce papers. It was a harsh way to treat someone she married but it was the only way that would be successful. Clive would never just let her divorce him so she had to force his hand. Thankfully, since her work as a spy, Grace excelled at lying. 

“I was thinking,” Clive sang, sitting down on their bed as Grace slowly went from her dresser to her bags and folded them in. “Maybe I should come along.”

Grace’s body froze. Her heart beat in her chest so much so it rang in her ears. She tried not to show the surprise on her face though and quickly regained her composure to continue packing. “How come? Won’t the bank miss you?”

Clive grinned, getting up from the bed and walking over to the glass of rum in the corner of their room. He kept most of the alcohol in their room for easy access. “I haven’t taken a day of vacation since we got married. I think it would be lovely to meet some of your extended family.”

Grace faked a smile at her husband and nodded. “That’s a great idea. My boat leaves in two days, maybe you can get a ticket then?”

Clive nodded, leaning down to kiss Grace on the cheek. “I’ll start packing now.”

Once Clive had left their room, probably looking for more rum, Grace sat on her bed. She didn’t feel like a fighter right now. How was she gonna escape him now? She rested her head in her hands, feeling more defeated than ever. She started to silently weep, realizing that she might never be able to be with Tommy in peace. As she wept, she took her head out of her hands and looked up to her ceiling. In times when she felt the lowest, as if no one could help her, she asked her father what to do. Although he was not there to answer, she always felt as though he was sitting beside her, consoling her. Maybe now, he would help. As she looked to the ceiling, she closed her eyes. After her father died, she would ask for him but something changed. As she looked at the ceiling, she didn’t want to ask for her father. She knew who she needed. In a last ditch effort to devise a new plan to get away from Clive, she reached for her telephone and asked the operator to patch her through to Shelby Company Ltd. in Birmingham.

“Hello?” Tommy asked, his voice sounded full of worry and she felt terrible adding to it but she couldn’t help it.

“Tommy?” Grace choked out, tears still sliding down her face. 

“Grace?” Tommy questioned, already alarmed by the fact that it sounded as if she was crying. “What’s wrong?”

“Clive has bought a ticket and is coming with me. I don’t know what to do.” Grace whispered, hoping her husband would not come back any time soon.

“Don’t worry Grace,” Tommy instructed, his voice soft and heavy. “We will figure it out.”

“How do I win?” Grace pleaded, clutching onto the chord of the telephone.

“You win like this Grace.” Tommy said, seemingly stronger than her in this moment. He wasn’t about to give up. “You get off the boat at 5pm, correct?”

Grace nodded and let out a hum to signal he was correct. She still clutched onto the phone chord, holding onto every single word Tommy said.

“Call me when you get off the boat and we’ll plan for a time during the night when I can pick you up and take you away. We’ll be fine Grace.” Tommy consoled his love. He felt as though someone was ripping his heart out. He couldn’t imagine how scared Grace felt, moving from one country to another but he promised to help the transition as smooth as possible. He loved Grace. She was the only person to make him feel, after all. He wasn’t the cold Tommy Shelby everyone else seemed to know when he was with Grace. 

“Okay.” Grace said, swallowing the rest of her tears. She wouldn’t allow herself to cry anymore. She had to be strong. Tommy was and so would she. “I love you Tommy Shelby.”

Tommy smirked. “You are safe. Goodbye.”

Grace was the one to hang up this time. She looked to the ceiling. Moving to Birmingham after all these years would be hard, no one said it wouldn’t be. Regaining most of the Shelby (and especially Gray) family’s trust would be hard. But not impossible. Nothing could be impossible when you were a fighter. And if Grace Burgess was anything, she was a fighter. Before she could revel in her newfound confidence, her stomach lurched forward. Without a second hesitation, Grace rushed to the bathroom, opening the lid of the toilet and getting on her knees. Just as she stuck her head over the toilet, she found herself throwing up. She hadn’t really eaten anything today because she had been so nauseous but she had chalked it all up to her nerves. She was lying to her husband and leaving him for someone else, who wouldn’t be nervous? But, as she flushed the remains of what was in her stomach, it dawned on her that maybe it was something else. 

~

Tommy hated shovelling shit. He hated it not only because the sounds were so similar to the ones that would ring in his ears at night, but also because it smelled terrible. He supposed that there was no other job on this planet as bad as shovelling shit. But Curly, bless the man, loved shovelling shit and his enthusiasm rubbed off on Tommy. Besides, Grace was supposed to dock at Liverpool this evening at 5pm and call him as soon as she could so he had no reason to be in a bad mood. Shovelling shit with Curly would not deter his jolly mood. 

“What are you doing, Tommy?” Curly asked as he watched his boss start to shovel shit. Curly saw things that weren’t there on many occasions but he was sure he was not hallucinating now.

“Shoveling shit, Curly. Just like you.” Tommy said, continuing to shovel even as Curly stopped to watch him. 

“Why're you doing that, Tommy?” Curly asked another question, still watching in awe as Tommy shoveled shit as if he wasn’t the most feared man in Birmingham.

“To remind meself what I'd be if I wasn't who I am.” Tommy explained, stopping to take a breath before continuing on.

This answer seemed like enough for Curly because he proceeded to shovel again beside Tommy and hum an unfamiliar song. Curly, although suffering in his mind, was a simple man who just needed a friend and if Tommy was willing to help him out and keep him company, Curly could care less what Tommy was shoveling shit for. Although Curly did not mind, Charlie did. Once he walked into the barn and saw for himself what Tommy was doing, he became confused. His confusion slowly turned into annoyance at the mere fact Tommy was shoveling shit. Charlie didn’t believe that he should be doing any of the dirty work and always tried to shield the boy from trouble after his mother died. Unfortunately, it did not work out in the way Charlie had hoped. 

“Tommy. What’s going on?” Charlie asked, entering the barn. He had been instructed by Tommy to tell him when it was 4:30pm so that he could leave for a “meeting” at Shelby Company Ltd. He wasn’t exactly sure what “meeting” meant anymore. The word had a double meaning. Tommy was either engaging in actual, legitimate business or killing a man. Charlie could rarely tell the difference anymore.

Instead of Tommy stopping, Curly did and looked to Charlie. With a smile on his face, he said, “I think Tommy's lost his mind, Charlie.”

Charlie doesn’t smile and for a moment, he thinks that maybe Curly is right. His mother, god rest her soul, lost her mind and ended her life. Sometimes it is hereditary. 

Tommy stops shoveling and turns to face Curly. “Well, it's honest work, Curly.” Then Tommy turns around to Charlie. “You have the six cans of petrol?”

Charlie nodded, a little speechless at how happy Tommy seemed to be. In the last years, he had rarely been happy and when he was, it was usually because of the barmaid who turned out to be a spy. There was something in Tommy’s demeanor that made Charlie think that maybe, Grace wasn’t completely gone after all. 

“Bring them to the garage.” Tommy instructed, walking over to the right wall of the barn and fetching his coat. “Is it 4:30?”

Charlie yet again nodded, still at a loss for words. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t repeat his mother’s mistake. As Tommy walked past him, still putting on his coat, he finally spoke to the man who he saw as a son. “If you ever want a job, I'll get you your own shovel.”

Tommy smirks, slowly making his way back to his car. He doesn’t say anything but Charlie knew that he was grateful. Everything Tommy had done, it wouldn’t be possible without Charlie or Curly. They are the backbone of Shelby Company Ltd., even if they would not admit it to themselves. As Tommy drives away from Charlie and Curly, his mind slowly shifts from them to Grace. In half an hour, he would hear her voice again and tonight, they would be reunited. As scary as it was to let her in again, Tommy loves her more than he had loved anyone and he couldn’t live without her. If those past two years taught him anything, it was that he needed Grace.

Although he knew the feelings were mutual, he had to admit Grace was stronger than him in so many ways. Grace Burgess was a god damn spy that tricked Thomas Shelby, a mob boss of the Peaky fucking Blinders. Grace lost a father and turned that loss into strength and motivation. Grace struggled in the streets and killed a man. Grace shot men of the IRA in a pub to save Tommy's life, then watched Tommy beat the shit out of them. And she prevailed, and she saw him and did not run away. She saw underneath the exterior. She saw the scared boy who hated violence and wanted a peaceful life. Grace Burgess was an agent of the crown and held a gun to Polly Shelby's face, something Tommy would never do. No one messed with Polly, but Grace did. She was an undercover spy. She shot Campbell, who was holding a gun to her head, in the leg and crippled him with a gun she kept hidden in her handbag. Grace had always known the consequences of loving Thomas Shelby. And she still loved him. Because she saw him and he saw her. 

As Tommy entered his office, he watched Lizzie get up from her seat at her desk. She sweetly smiled at him and he nodded at her. Before he closed the doors to his office behind him, he looked to Lizzie and said, “I’m expecting a call. Anyone looking for me will need to wait.”

As Tommy sits down, he doesn’t even have time to take off his coat. The phone was already ringing and the only thing he did before he answered it was take off his cap. Once he answered the phone, Grace was the first to speak.

“Tommy?” She whispered. 

Tommy could hear the bustling of the docks behind her and he grinned, glad the trip went well considering her predicament. “Grace, it’s me.”

Tommy could hear Grace sigh on the other end. “We’ve docked. We’re going to be staying at the Milton Hotel. I can’t speak for long; Clive is getting our luggage.”

Tommy nodded, a smile creeping on his face. His mind eased. Even though she was not physically in front of him, she was in England and would be with him in hours at the most. “Very well. Listen, Grace, I will stop by the hotel at midnight. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Grace sighs, this time out of happiness. “Then our life can begin.”

Tommy smiled widely for the first time since he saw Grace in New York. “Yes, darling. I’ll see you soon.”

Once Tommy hung up the phone, he had a hard time wiping the smile off his face. Grace was there. He simply couldn’t believe it. He took his coat off finally and tried to distract himself with paperwork until he could see Grace. Soon, Lizzie would leave and when she does, Tommy would smile again. He won’t allow himself to smile in front of Lizzie. Mostly due to the fact that she would ask too many questions. Some questions, Tommy couldn’t answer. Others, he would be too embarrassed to do so. Who knew Tommy Shelby could be embarrassed over anything?

When there was a soft knock on the door of his office, two hours into his work, he wasn’t surprised to see Lizzie.Ot was around the time she would normally leave and she always let him know when she left. She used to do it so she could check if he needed her (sexually of course) but now, she just did it to be polite. 

She opened the door once he called out to her and the second she saw Tommy she had a puzzled look on her face. He doesn’t understand why at first; all he was doing was copying some papers for a contract. When Lizzie stood over his desk, a smile now on her face, she finally told him why she looked so puzzled.

“You look like a blushing school boy.” Lizzie remarked, dropping off some paperwork he had to sign before she left. 

Tommy nodded, not a trace of a smile on his face. “Nonsense.”

Lizzie nodded, a sweet smile still on her face. “Goodbye Mr. Shelby.”

Tommy nodded to her and waved her off. He acted too busy for her when in reality, he wanted her to leave because she had spotted the residue of his smile and he felt embarrassed. She does leave once he waved her off but before she closed his door fully again, she made another quick remark.

“Don’t worry Tommy, I won’t tell anyone you can smile.” 

And with that, she was gone. And now, Tommy finally looked happy.

~

The autumn air was uncharacteristically cold that night. Granted, it was Birmingham and the weather was slowly transitioning from autumn to winter but the fact still remained that the environment seemed different that night. At first, Tommy believed that it was all in his head. He was nervous, not for himself but for Grace, so he chalked up the cold midnight air to the uncertainty that loomed over him. As he drove further into London, away from his home, he realized that although his nerves played a grand role in how he felt, he knew that this weather was a sign. Things were changing in Birmingham. Whether it was the season turning from autumn to winter or his life changing from anguish to joy, Tommy’s life would never be the same after tonight. 

This belief was solidified after he parked his car in front of Grace’s hotel. He peered out his window from inside his car and expected to see the concierge, however, what he witnessed was not what he expected. Through the window of the lobby, Tommy saw a woman striking a resemblance to Grace who was singing aloud to a group of men, all wearing the hotel uniform. They were all mesmerized by her voice and although Tommy could not hear what she sang, he knew she was talented by how she smiled. She was aware of her talent and seemed more than willing to flaunt it. Taking a risk, Tommy exited his car. He instructed the valet to watch over his car, as he was only going to be a minute. Without a moment to dwell on the consequences of entering a building he did not belong in, Tommy progressed through the main doors of the hotel. When he finally entered the large lobby, he was greeted with a lovely voice. If it were not for the voice, he would have been distracted by the architecture of the building. Every wall was painted in white, the marble reflecting off the walls. It was indeed a beautiful structure but the voice was even more so. 

Although Tommy would always be captivated by Grace’s singing, the woman’s voice differed from Grace’s in the most beautiful way. Grace’s voice was light and airy, at times raspy, but this woman’s voice was deep and guttural. Her voice sounded like velvet while Grace’s voice was luminescent. Tommy felt his throat clench. Although the woman’s voice was indeed alluring, what she sang was even more so.

“The boy I love is up in the gallery,” the woman sang, thrusting Tommy into the past. He now stood in the Garrison, watching Grace stand on a stool as she sang the same song to drunk men. He remembered as she made eye contact with him and he watched her lips turn up into a smile. That was the first time she ever smiled at him. “The boy I love is looking now at me -” 

“Tommy?”

Tommy was so wrapped up in his memory of Grace, he almost ignored another voice calling his name. Once they called the second time, he finally flinched, moving his head clockwise to see who called his name. Standing only a few feet away from him was Grace, two bags in both hands. When they made eye contact, she immediately bent down and placed them on the floor. Except for the woman's singing, the lobby was silent. Everyone seemed to be captivated by the music, while Tommy was captivated but someone else. Once Grace had placed her luggage on the floor, Tommy was the first to move forward. She seemed to be in awe of the moment and when Tommy realized she was unable to move, he did instead. In seconds his arms wrapped around Grace's body, pulling her in close. She reacted quickly and instinctively, wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her face in the crook of his neck. She breathed deeply through her nose, reveling in such a familiar and comforting smell. Tommy did the same, a small smile on his face. She was there, in Birmingham. She hadn't forgotten. She still loved him.

Finally, Tommy was the first to pull away. "Grace," he breathed out, at a loss for words. Tommy hadn't convinced himself completely that anything that happened in New York was real. He believed that maybe everything was a figment of his imagination. 

Grace beamed, one hand moved to cup his cheek. "I'm here." She already knew. She knew Tommy was already doubting so much and she wanted to try her best to ease his nerves.

Tommy bowed his head, his lips forming a tight line. "Let's go." Although he wanted to celebrate their reunion, he recognized that they were still in the hotel where her husband still slept. Nothing good would come if they stayed.

Tommy was right. Before they could make their way to the exit, someone got in their way. Just as Tommy reached for Grace's luggage, a voice yelled aloud and called for Grace.

"Grace!" It was Clive.

Not only did Grace's blood run cold, but so did Tommy's. He had tried to make Grace's getaway as discreet as possible but it failed. Thankfully, Tommy always had a plan B. In that case, Tommy's plan was to fight Clive, man to man, and keep Grace out of harm's way. Whatever it took, Tommy was walking out of that hotel with Grace. He looked to Grace, wanting to know how far she would go for him, and he was relieved to see she was on the same boat as he was. Grace was a fighter and she fought for Tommy. 

As Clive climbed down the stairs leading to the lobby, both Grace and Tommy exchanged only a few words. At that point, the lobby grew even more silent and now no one spoke. Even the confident woman that was singing before, watched in confusion as Clive drunkenly stumbled down the steps.

"He's drunk." Grace scoffed, glaring as she watched her husband shuffle towards her. The empty bottle of gin was still in his hands as he angrily made his way to his wife.

"Anger and alcohol never mix well." Tommy commented, placing Grace's luggage back on the floor. If anything physical was to erupt, Tommy wanted to make sure he was on his guard. 

Clive was six feet away from the couple when he finally spoke. It was a quick and simple phrase but it got his point across efficiently. "I knew it."

Grace contorted her brows, confused as to how he could have known. She had suspected he was completely oblivious, mostly due to the fact his behaviour never changed around her. Maybe the skills Grace learned as a spy were not as useful now. She had been out of the field for so long she suspected she was rusty. 

Tommy stepped in front of Grace, shielding most of her body from Clive. "Leave."

Clive rolled his eyes, clearly not seeing Tommy as a threat. "You're not a man. What man steals another man's wife?"

Just as Tommy was about to give Clive a quick witted response, Grace pushed Tommy aside. She took a step forward, glaring daggers at Clive. "I am no one's property. I am not land that can be stolen. I am my own person that makes my own decisions."

Clive glares right back, clutching onto the glass in his hand. "I knew it." He said again which made it clear to Grace that he had not been listening. Clive continued to drown in self pity, "I saw Thomas in the paper, naming his horse after you. Didn't think anything of it but then I saw calls from Birmingham to a Shelby Company Ltd. and knew it couldn't have been a coincidence."

Grace reached for Clive's free hand. Tommy instinctively flinched but upon realizing she was alright, he relaxed. Maybe Clive could be talked out of his anger. "Listen to me Clive." Grace said defiantly, ignoring his confession. "I am not yours. I am not Tommy's either. I am my own person and I choose my fate."

Clive seemed confused. His eyes glistened, watching as Grace let go of his hand. He tried to reach for it again but Grace stepped back, away from her husband. "And you choose him?"

Grace turned for a moment to face Tommy. She smiled sweetly at him for a moment and spoke, "Always."

Tommy wanted to smile, but he didn’t allow himself to. Regrettably, since Grace was facing Tommy and could not see Clive’s reaction, Tommy watched as Clive’s face contorted into rage. Sweat beaded down his forehead and his jaw was clenched. Tommy watched, almost in slow motion, as Clive took advantage of Grace’s back turned to him and lifted his right hand, where he still held the bottle of gin. Thankfully, Tommy tensed up immediately and reacted quickly before Grace was injured. In a second, Tommy rushed forward and clasped onto Clive’s wrist. Grace now looked back and gasped, finding that her husband intended to hurt her. She stepped back, Tommy and Clive finally making eye contact.

Tommy used his other hand to rip the bottle out of Clive’s palm. Once the bottle was in Tommy’s, he held it menacingly over Clive’s head just like he had done to Grace. “A real man,” Tommy uttered, his eyes strained on Clive. Grace placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, trying to calm him down, but he made no effort to acknowledge her caress. “Doesn’t strike someone when their back is turned.” At that moment, Tommy let go of Clive. With one last glare, he turned to face his love.

Tommy was never looking back. It was not worth it. He didn’t have to hurt Clive, Grace did that in her own way. They barely spoke as Tommy picked up Grace’s luggage from the floor and finally made their way to the exit. Clive stood there, watching them mournfully, as he got the last glimpse of his wife. Clive would never be the same, that would be for certain. He had not felt like himself for months, stressed from work and how bad the economy had been getting. He didn’t want to bring his troubles home to Grace but now, he realized that maybe if he expressed his feelings more and involved Grace in his troubles, they would be in New York. It was too late then, what was broken could not be fixed. Grace was gone, leaving with a man she had never stopped loving.

When Grace first entered Tommy’s car, she was silent. Everything almost seemed surreal to her. Her brain could not seem to fathom that she was finally away from her husband. She had always wished to be with Tommy again but it was always a dream, never a tangible goal. While she watched Tommy turn his keys and start his car, she recognized that her dream was coming true. She was there with Tommy. She had escaped to a better life. When she first fell in love with Tommy, she never thought too far ahead considering her line of work. She knew she would have to leave him eventually but she never suspected it would have been so difficult. Once she left for New York and got Tommy’s letter, telling her the coin fell the wrong way, she was almost relieved she hadn’t dwelled on what their future would have been like. As the years passed, she began to let her mind wander. At first she thought it was harmless and when her heart hurt from her yearning, she realized that she had made a mistake. It was not until she saw Tommy in New York that she believed God had given her a second chance. Although, just like before, there was something standing in the way of Grace allowing herself to apologetically love Tommy. Finally, there seemed to be nothing in Grace or Tommy’s way

Tommy was the first to speak. “I’m not sure if the silence is a favourable one or not.”

Grace looked to him from the passenger seat, a smile now on her face. “It is a good silence.”

Tommy beamed. “Good.” Although there was no smile on his face, Grace could tell he was pleased. However, Tommy Shelby was difficult to read. Even if Grace could not exactly put her finger on it, she knew something was wrong. 

She voiced her worry. “What’s wrong?”

Tommy abruptly glanced at Grace, quickly looking back to the road. “Nothing.”

Grace rolled her eyes, clearly knowing that Tommy was not telling the truth. “Tommy, you don’t need to protect me. I know what you do and I’ve come to terms with it.”

Tommy kept his eyes on the road, making sure not to swerve as he began to recap the last couple of months to Grace. Tommy thought back to his encounter with Campbell and what he had concluded by the end of it. Grace was his secret weapon. She knew Campbell in ways Tommy never did. She knew his weaknesses, hell, she was one of his weaknesses. If Tommy informed her on everything maybe she could give her own input, as someone who used to be an officer of the crown. Grace was an asset and Tommy needed her. 

“Campbell visited me in the hospital after Sabini roughed me up,” Tommy started to explain, taking one hand off his steering wheel and grabbed Grace’s hand. He waited to see Grace’s reaction and although she never spoke, he could sense the stiffness in her body as she heard Campbell’s name. “He recruited me for a job. An assassination.”

“Tommy -” Grace scolded, stopping to take a deep breath before letting him speak.

“I said I’d do it. I had a plan. There’s a jew named Solomans who was to help me but he’s betrayed me. Arthur’s in jail because of him. Campbell wants me to assassinate the man in his bed but I don’t want to. When I expressed my defiance, he arrested Michael as well.” Tommy explained, turning left down another street. “Grace, I’m afraid if I kill the man in his home, Campbell will have no reservations in killing me right away.”

Grace nodded, looking to her lap where she observed her and Tommy’s hands intertwined. “Change the location yourself.”

Tommy gazed at Grace for a moment, driving down his street in Birmingham. They were minutes from his home and yet, Tommy was more confused than when he entered the car. “What do you mean?”

Grace tightened her grasp on Tommy’s hand. “Force Campbell to change the location.”

Tommy smiled for a moment, his lips suppressing a huge grin. “Is this your way of giving me your blessing?” Finally, Tommy approached his house, parallel parking in between two cars. The streets in Birmingham were rigid and only the wealthy had driveways. Although Tommy was well off, he could not afford a driveway so he parked like everyone else.

Grace scoffed, watching Tommy turn off his car before she spoke. “Tommy.”

Tommy’s hand was on the door, ready to open it, but Grace’s tone prevented him from doing so. She sounded scared yet determined. Tommy understood she wanted to tell him something important. And he understood what it might be. Grace never signed up for Tommy killing someone. She knew the mob boss had killed and maimed before but never with this much planning. If he was caught, or worse, he would be hanged. And Campbell would never be implicated. Her worst nightmare was to see him hang while the man who recruited Tommy in the first place watched. Although he would carry out the killing with or without Grace’s blessing, Tommy would sleep better at night knowing Grace would at least still love him.

“I don’t know how many times I have to remind you,” Grace started, reaching out and gently cupped Tommy’s face in her hands. Tommy’s breath hitched in his throat. The shovelling disappeared. “I will love you no matter what. I will support you in all of your endeavours.”

Tommy nodded. At first, he remained silent at Grace’s confession. He knew he needed her help, in more ways than one. “I’m glad you say so. I need your help.”

Grace’s brows wrinkled, the confusion evident on her face. “How?”

Tommy’s right hand raised to touch her neck while the other stayed on the door. “You were a spy, weren’t you? I heard you deceived Birmingham’s notorious mob boss.”

Grace smiled, leaning forward. She kissed him ardently, tasting the tobacco on his tongue. Slowly, she pulled away, opening her eyes. “Yes, I did. But I screwed up. I fell in love with him.”

Tommy raised his brows, faking astonishment. “Well, I can’t do it without you.”

Grace nodded, finally letting go of Tommy. “I have a plan then. But it’s gonna be sanguinary.”

Tommy finally allowed himself to smile. “That’s my favourite kind.”

“The only way to force Campbell’s hand is if the house is no longer a viable option. So, get rid of the house.” Grace had promised she would stay away from the lifestyle that led her to Tommy, but he needed her. Not to mention, Grace felt powerful when she conspired with Tommy. Unlike Clive, Tommy treated her as an equal. Her ideas and opinions were just as valid as his, sometimes even more so. 

Tommy smirked. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He had been thinking of a plan for days and now, Grace had thought of a better plan than he had in minutes. “Are you suggesting we bomb his house?”

Grace shrugged her shoulders, her toes curling in her shoes. “As a former agent of the Crown, I would never. However, as a simple woman who hates Campbell, I am indeed suggesting that.”

Tommy grinned, opening his door. He quickly exited and made his way around his vehicle to the passenger side where Grace was waiting. As if he was a true gentleman, Tommy opened the door for Grace. She acknowledged his gesture and stepped out of the car. Just as Tommy closed the door, Grace reached out to grab ahold of his hand. He looked down to where their fingers intertwined. Just like their fingers, Tommy knew their lives would be forever intertwined with one another. Grace’s new plan only solidified the notion that Grace was one of the only people Tommy could count on. 

“I’ll call John tonight.” Tommy promised, taking the luggage from Grace’s hand. He was being uncharacteristically chivalrous tonight and Grace knew it was because of the new strategies she presented to him. 

She did not mind though. They were finally one now and she promised to do everything in her power to help Tommy. Grace was not just a love interest, she was Tommy’s equal.

~

John awoke to the telephone ringing. More specifically, he woke to Esme hitting him with a pillow, telling him that he better answer the bloody phone or else she would castrate him. No one messed with Esme when she was tired, especially John. As John rushed out of his room and to the parlor, he glanced at his watch. 2:15am. Who in the bloody hell could be calling him at this hour? Only one way to find out. With an enormous amount of curiosity, John answered the phone.

"John, it's Tommy." 

John exhaled. He hadn't even realized he was holding in his breath. John never got good news when someone called his house at night. He knew Tommy wasn't bringing him good news. 

"Yes Tom?"

"You still have those cans of petrol I gave you earlier?" Tommy questioned. 

John heard shuffling in the background. Tommy was in bed. The Tommy after the war rarely lay in bed at night and mostly paced back and forth. He needed to keep his mind busy during the night. Tommy said his mind became another person entirely at night, whispering frightening things to him. It seemed that he no longer heard those voices. John wondered what happened to change Tommy so quickly.

"Yeah." John mumbled, craning his neck to get a better look at the petrol cans sitting on his kitchen table. 

"I need you to make an explosive." Tommy instructed, his voice even more defiant than usual.

"What for?" John asked, scratching the top of his head. Tommy's request made no sense to John. First, who the hell was Tommy targeting? Secondly, why couldn't this have waited until the morning when they undoubtedly saw each other?

"For the man responsible in Arthur's arrest." Tommy quickly explained, growing impatient. He had more pressing matters to attend to, one of them being the blonde that lay comfortably in his bed. Of course, he tried not to blame John for asking so many questions since this was his first time hearing all of this information. John always felt like a step behind, not fully grasping what plan his brother would carry out until the end.

Tommy's answer caught John's attention. Soon enough, John was agreeing to everything Tommy instructed. His brother was in prison and he would do anything to get back at anyone responsible. Tommy had promised no one would be injured and it was simply a scare tactic but John couldn't care less. Arthur was in trouble and John would do anything for his siblings.

“Alright Tommy, I’ll go to the Cut in the morning and ask Curlie.” John complied, rubbing his tired eyes. He was so tired that he was surprised to see himself standing upright. 

“Good John.” Tommy grumbled.

He could tell the conversation was coming to an end so before Tommy could hang up, John had some parting words. “Hey Tom?” John asked, waiting for his brother’s response. Tommy grumbled, clearly not paying attention fully to what John was saying. “Be careful.”

Tommy didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He knew John was only trying to look out for his elder brother but Tommy didn’t need someone to look out for him. He needed Campbell gone. He needed the assassination already over and done with. He needed to make sure Grace would be safe. He was not worrying about himself being in danger. Tommy Shelby would always be in some type of danger, he just had to make sure the ones he loved were not. He said nothing to John and made no indication that he had heard his brother’s advice. He hung up without a second’s thought and tried to get the sound of a concerned John out of his head. He didn’t need John to be concerned, he needed John to be angry. An angry John always did better work than any men he hired. Once the phone was disconnected, Tommy closed his eyes. He was sitting upright in his bed with the telephone cord draped across his lap. It was connected to his bedside table but even moving it that much away seemed like too much work. That night had been exhausting. From the confrontation with Clive, to Grace’s plan and calling John to carry out the plan, Tommy could barely keep his eyes open. It hadn’t helped that he had made love to Grace only minutes before he picked up the phone to call John. Everything tonight exhausted Tommy. He wanted to sleep for ten years.

“Tommy?” Grace called out, peering her head out from the bathroom door. 

When she saw Tommy’s state, she immediately rushed to him. He looked exhausted and he wouldn’t even open his eyes. She sat on the edge of his side of the bed, watching as he made no effort to open his eyes. She looked down at his lap where the telephone still remained. She took it from Tommy’s grasp and placed it back on the receiver. Tommy still made no movement to open his eyes. Grace reached out to him, cupping his face in her hands. She only had a robe on considering their past activities during the night. She had made her way to the bathroom to freshen up as Tommy called John and tried to find something to cover her body with. Hanging off the wall with a clip, lay a pink robe. At first, she was confused because why would Tommy need a woman’s robe. She grew jealous for a moment, thinking of May Carleton who clearly loved Tommy. Maybe something had indeed happened between the two besides the one night Tommy already mentioned. Then, Grace looked closer. What caught her eye was the inscription on the collar of the robe. Grace Shelby. She smiled. The robe was for her. To him, she was already a Shelby. He had prepared for her arrival. She called his name to thank him but now, seeing how tired he was, she decided to only comfort him instead. So, as she sat there beside her love, she watched him fall asleep.

“Sleep Tommy.” Grace whispered, pulling the covers to Tommy’s chest. Tommy stirred, hearing Grace’s words but too tired to respond. 

Tommy slept soundly that night. Grace not only could tell, but Tommy as well. There were no nightmares or shoveling, Tommy dreamed about a white swan floating in a pond. The swan looked at Tommy and he swore he saw it smile. He never woke once. For the first time in awhile, he had slept without a complaint. When he woke the next morning, Grace was already dressed. She sat in front of the vanity in Tommy’s room, applying some makeup. Tommy glanced at his watch. 8am. He had slept in. He sat upright quickly, watching as Grace turned to face him. 

“You looked so peaceful. I couldn’t wake you.” She turned back around to face the mirror and picked her brush back up. 

Tommy nodded, getting out of bed. He felt different. He had not woken up next to Grace in years and there was this warm feeling in his chest. As he made his way to the bathroom, he realized it was content. For the first time in years, he was content. 

“I have a meeting with Campbell today.” Tommy called from the bathroom. He bent over to splash warm water in his face and by the time he dried his face with a towel, Grace was by the threshold of the door. He smiled. He could tell she was interested.

“And you want me to come.” Grace insinuated, smiling as Tommy turned around to face her.

Tommy shrugged, eyeing Grace’s attire. She wore a lovely purple dress, stopping at her shins and silver earrings. Her lips were coated in a nude pink and her lashes seemed longer, which Tommy knew was because of the makeup she put on. She was looking as beautiful as ever, which he knew he could use to his advantage. Campbell was not expecting Grace. She would throw him off. 

Grace nodded. “It might be good to see him again. I hear he has a limp, caused by me may I add.”

Tommy chuckled, walking over to Grace. She reached out for him as he got close, grasping onto his hand. “I need you Grace.”

~

Campbell was a nosy man. He was an officer of the Crown after all. It was his job to snoop around, to find his enemies weaknesses. Although he thought he already found Tommy’s weakness, he still was an impolite man. The way he excused all of his behaviour towards Tommy was since Tommy was a criminal, it was fine if he broke some rules. Of course, this raised the question that if he did this, was he any better than Tommy? The answer was not something Campbell liked to think about. 

As he entered Tommy’s office, he turned to a woman who everyone knew to be named Lizzie. “And what is it you exactly do here?”

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed and Campbell knew he hit a nerve. He enjoyed angering people who he saw as lower on the social ladder than he was. “I exactly am a secretary to Mr Shelby.” Lizzie taunted, using his words against him. 

Campbell raised his eyes in surprise. “A secretary? My, my, my. All that paperwork.”

Lizzie nodded, carefully trying not to roll her eyes. She needed this job and as much as she hated Campbell and his obvious taunting, she tried to remain cool. “Do you want tea?”

Campbell shook his head, glancing around Tommy’s office. “No.”

Lizzie bowed her head before exiting Tommy’s office and closing the door behind her. When the door was finally closed, she allowed herself to sigh. Her past determined how men and even women treated her. She wished it was different, that none of her past mattered to anyone but she could not fool anyone. This was why she was so glad to be employed by Tommy. He was the only one who seemed to see her as a hardworking woman, rather than a former prostitute. She loved Tommy and although she would never admit it to him, she wished he wasn’t still hung up on Grace. She wanted him for herself. But as long as Grace occupied his mind, Lizzie knew he would never be interested in her. Grace was his true love. Every time he had sex with Lizzie, she knew he was imagining Grace.

There was a knock on the front door, pulling Lizzie away from her thoughts. She moved quickly, not wanting to let whoever was on the other side wait. When she opened the door, she gasped. Standing there, in all her glory, was Grace. Lizzie had only met the perfect princess once, at the races when Billy Kimber was still interested in sleeping with Lizzie. They never spoke once, only making eye contact for a minute as she danced with Tommy. Lizzie remembered wanting to be Grace. To hold and dance with Tommy was the only thing she wanted.

Lizzie composed herself, opening the door wider. Grace entered, moving past Lizzie. “Hello.”

Lizzie nodded, her lips a tight smile. Lizzie wanted to hate Grace but she knew she couldn’t. Grace had only ever been kind and it would not be fair to her. “Hello.”

“Tommy’s parking the car. He’ll be here any moment.” Grace said, removing her jacket and hanging it up on the coat rack. 

Lizzie stayed by her desk, making no sudden movements. She could barely move her feet anyways. Tommy and Grace were together? When? How? Lizzie had believed she was married. How could they be together? Lizzie’s heart thudded in her chest and she tried not to show how surprised she was.

“Don’t tell Tommy this because you know how he is,” Grace started, moving toward Lizzie. When they were six feet apart, she spoke again. “I know what happened between you and Tommy while I was in New York. This may be awkward, but I truly want us to get along.”

Lizzie was surprised but nodded, trying to process all of this new information. “I’d like that as well.” Lizzie was not sure if she did, but Grace was the first woman in a while that treated her with respect. It seemed that Grace did not care she was a prostitute or that she slept with Tommy and Lizzie was confused as to why. 

Grace could see the confusion written on Lizzie’s face. “You helped Tommy greatly and I just want to thank you.”

“What’re you ladies talking about?”

Before Lizzie could answer, Tommy entered. He walked to Grace’s side and held out his hand for hers. Lizzie watched as Grace held onto his hand tightly and she felt her heart slow down. She loved Tommy but he seemed truly happy and that’s all she wanted in his life. Happiness.

“Just women talk.” Grace smirked, winking at Lizzie.

Lizzie sheepishly smiled. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, glancing at his office doors, which were closed. He knew Campbell would come early to snoop around his office. Thankfully,everything was locked up. Tommy looked back to Lizzie. “He’s in there?” Lizzie nodded, making her way around her desk and sitting down. Tommy looked to Grace. “In about two minutes, knock and then enter.”

Grace nodded, taking a seat on the edge of Lizzie’s desk. “What would you do without me Tommy Shelby?”

Tommy shrugged, his lips in a tight line but his eyes as playful as ever. He turned around, facing his office before moving forward. This was it. There was no going back. Tommy and Grace made a foolproof plan. Campbell was in his territory now.

The first thing Tommy sees when he opens his door his door is Campbell. He’s standing at his desk, trying with all his might to break the lock to one of the drawers in his desk. Tommy acts amused. “I keep everything locked up, Mr Campbell.” Tommy closes the door behind him. “Everything of value.”

Campbell stands upright again, stepping away from Tommy’s desk as if he had not just been snooping around. He nods at Tommy but does not speak.

He hangs up his coat on the coat rack, clearing his throat. Tommy watches Campbell as he makes his way toward his desk. “Take a seat.” Campbell hobbles around to the chair opposite of Tommy’s desk. 

Before he sits, Campbell finally spoke. “How is your company treasurer, Polly?” He fakes the sympathy in his tone and instead wears a small smirk on his face.

Tommy looks up from his desk, still standing. “Why do you ask?” He takes a cigarette out of his pocket, placing it between his lips.

Campbell shrugs. “Oh, just give her my regards.”

Tommy sighs, tired of all the antics he has to endure with Campbell. He finally sits on his chair, looking up at Campbell as he still stands. He pulls a match out of his pocket, observing it intently. Finally, after a long moment, he lights the match and brings it to the cigarette between his lips. 

Campbell doesn’t speak until Tommy has had his first smoke. “You like to play with fire, don't you, Mr Shelby?” Campbell moves, his cane hitting the floor as he walks to the second chair opposite of Tommy. “This morning in Belgravia, Field Marshal Russell's house was burnt out. An incendiary device was put through his letterbox, which means that he will have to find somewhere else to live for at least the next three months.”

Tommy doesn’t even attempt to pretend that this is news to him. He only grumbles a short “hm” before taking another drag of his cigarette. “Which also means that your plan,” Tommy starts, watching as Campbell continues to stand in front of him. “for me to break in and shoot him in his bed, is now no longer an operational possibility.”

Campbell nods, his lips tight in anger. “Indeed. But if you think a wee burn frees you from your obligations, think again.”

Tommy shakes his head, cigarette still between his fingers. “I will keep my side of the bargain.”

“Oh, by God, you will -” Campbell starts to scold but Tommy promptly cuts him off.

“I will shoot your field marshal, but I will do it in a way that serves my purpose.” Tommy said, watches as Campbell grips his cane, trying to control his anger.

“The only purpose is my purpose.” Campbell tries to assert dominance and remind Tommy who is really in charge but Tommy could care less. He knows he has the upper hand now.

“I will carry out your assassination at a place of my choosing.” Tommy instructs, seemingly more calm than his enemy.

Campbell sighs, clearly upset. “Listen to me,” he leans forward, a finger pointed at Tommy. “All operational detail must be mutually agreed.”

Tommy looks away from Campbell, glancing at his clock. Grace should be knocking any moment. “I'm a soldier. I've experience. I will determine where and when he…”

This time Campbell cuts him off. “Now that man has 24-hour armed police protection…”

Tommy shakes his head, watching as Campbell hobbles to the window, not bothering to look at Tommy. “Your plan was full of holes.”

Tommy’s comment angers Campbell and he turns to face Tommy menacingly. “My plan was mutually agreed!”

“Well, now your plan is up in smoke. And I have formulated the only viable alternative!” Tommy yells, louder than Campbell.

“Oh, for God's sake, what do you mean? How would you get to him?” Campbell sighs, almost afraid to hear of the new plan.

Tommy watches as Campbell approaches his desk again. “I won't. He will come to me.”

Campbell rolls his eyes, gripping his cane once again. “Now listen to me, Mr. Shelby. When this meeting is concluded, I must report directly to Mr Winston Churchill.”

Tommy shrugs his shoulders and takes a smoke before he speaks. “Your relationship with Mr Churchill is not my concern.”

“And Mr Winston Churchill will need to hear detail.” Campbell scolded, slightly frightened at what his superior will think of Tommy’s new plan.

Tommy tried his best not to smile, enjoying Campbell’s worry. “Well, you tell him he'll have to trust me.” There is a long silence, the two men glaring at each other. This time, Tommy has no problem speaking first. He knows Campbell has to listen. “Look, Mr Campbell. I will carry out my mission.”

Campbell tries to save what was left of his dignity and asserts some dominance. “Good.”

Tommy nods. “Good.” The men continue to glare at each other. “But I will do it in a place where it will be impossible for you or your men to have me shot afterwards.” Tommy smiles, showing no teeth, as he watches Campbell uncomfortably shift in his stance. 

Before either of them have time to speak, there’s a knock at the door. Campbell makes no effort to turn around, even when the door opens. Tommy cranes his neck and watches as Grace opens and closes the door, a stack of papers in her hands. Tommy smiles this time with his teeth. He nods at Grace and he nods back, the smirk on her lips full of mischief. Finally, Grace makes her way around Tommy’s desk, Campbell finally seeing who it is. Tommy wishes he could capture that moment forever because Campbell is taken completely off guard. It looks as if he has been shot in the chest and Grace was behind the trigger. The colour in his face drains and he no longer looks bemused. 

“What were you all discussing?” Grace asks, a smirk on her lips. She glances at Campbell before sitting on the edge of Tommy’s desk. 

Tommy shrugs, looking at Campbell. “How Campbell was planning to kill me after I assassinated the Marshal.”

Grace nodded, finally making eye contact with Campbell. “Because that was the plan. Eh? Coppers front and back. No way out. Tommy shot dead, dumped in the Thames. That’s how you always used to do it.”

Campbell refused to speak; his throat felt like it was closing. He hadn’t seen Grace since she shot him and even though she had, all of those feelings still remained in his heart. As much as he tried to get rid of them, he couldn’t. And, as much as he tried to separate Tommy and Grace out of jealousy, to see them still together and stronger only added to his anger. There was nothing for him to say and Tommy and Grace knew it.

“I will do the killing,” Tommy promised, drawing Campbell’s attention away from Grace and back to him. “but at a place where that will not be an option. I've recently become a racehorse owner, Mr Campbell.”

Grace nodded, watching Campbell’s reaction as she placed her hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “A race horse out of New York.”

Tommy reached for the newspaper, handing it over to Campbell to take a look. “Perhaps you can guess which one is my horse.”

Under the photo of Tommy’s horse, the caption read; Thomas Shelby’s Grace, a first time runner.

Campbell’s back stiffened. He threw the newspaper back on Tommy’s desk and looked to Grace. She smirked at him, her hand still on Tommy’s shoulder. Campbell reluctantly spoke, only looking at Grace. “Where and when?”

“Epsom.” Grace answered, looking at Tommy.

Tommy looked back at her and smiled. They had him right where they wanted him. The victory was theirs. He turned his head to Campbell. “Derby Day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand that this chapter might not have included too much of Grace, only at the end where she finally reunites with Tommy but in the next chapter, I will definitely give her the story line she deserved. I am trying to write her how I would have liked to see her, with more action and a stronger voice. To me, Grace is not only a love interest, but was a spy who I know could have helped Tommy in series 2. Hopefully chapter 3 will be published in the next couple of weeks. Thank you all again for your kind words and constructive criticism. I am new to the writing community and any advice will help!


	3. Derby Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the events of series 2 episode 6, Grace and Tommy work together to ensure nothing ruins their plans on Derby Day.

_My name is Thomas Shelby, and today, I'm going to kill a man._  
_Today is Derby Day._  
_The murder will take place this afternoon, at the Epsom races. It may be that I am able to escape after the killing. The odds are not good, which is why I am writing this letter. I've been forced by agents of the Crown to carry out this murder. In the event of my own death, I want the following facts to be known. My family are innocent of any involvement. And while some of them may be guilty of other things, I've not shared details of this mission with any of them, and no company assets were used. Agents of the Crown joined forces with pro-treaty Fenians to arrange this murder. I believe the governments intend to falsely blame the anti-treaty IRA. Therefore, the bullet I fire this afternoon will be the starting gun for civil war in Ireland. The man I have been instructed to kill is Field Marshal Russell. Formerly a Black and Tan commander who committed many atrocities in the county of Cork. There is no remorse in my heart at the prospect of his death. However, the conspiracy behind the killing is cause for international concern. Such is the gravity of my secret mission, that after I have served my purpose, I believe they intend to kill me. I therefore want to name a particular individual in this letter. The agent who has initiated and orchestrated this crime is Major Chester Campbell of the British Secret Intelligence Service. He chose me for this dirty business as an act of vengeance, prompted by hatred of long standing. In the event of my death, it is imperative he be brought to justice. If you are reading this, then I am dead already. I hope that, living as you do in a truly free country, you will be able to make the above facts known to the world._  
_Yours sincerely,_  
_Thomas Shelby._

“Would you like some tea?” Grace asked, entering the parlor just as Tommy sealed the letter he had written. Tommy, his mind scattered in so many different places, did not respond. Slightly annoyed, Grace sat beside her love and poured some tea for herself. In a more exasperated tone, she called out again. “Thomas?”

“Hm?” Tommy grumbled, finally looking up from the envelope. He frowned, watching as Grace set a cup full of tea in front of him. “Ah, yes.”

“You seem a little distracted.” Grace commented, sipping on her tea. Unlike Tommy, she enjoyed hers boiling hot while Tommy waited for his to cool down. 

“I have much on my mind.” Tommy replied, grabbing a hold of the envelope which held his letter. He slid it towards Grace. She picked it up, examining Tommy’s calligraphy on the front of the envelope. To Whom It May Concern, Grace read. “Grace,” Tommy uttered, grabbing her attention. When they made eye contact, he continued, “if anything happens to me today, I need you to post this letter.”

Grace frowned. “Tommy -” She did not want to dwell on the possibility that Tommy might not come home to her. She wanted more time with him. Needed more time. 

“The stamp's already on. Don't ask any questions, it's to do with insurance.” Tommy continued, ignoring Grace’s plea for him to stop. 

“Nothing’s gonna happen to you.” Grace reassured Tommy, reaching out to comfort him. Her hand rested on his forearm as her thumbs rubbed in slow circles, stroking him. 

“There’s no plan B.” Tommy reminded her, although he was sure she was aware of the delicacy of the situation they were in. “There is no do - over. I only have one chance to kill the Marshal and escape from Campbell.”

Grace nodded, rolling her eyes. “I know.” She knew how stressful the current situation Tommy was in but he was talking to her as if she hadn’t helped him conceive of the plan he was now undertaking. 

“If one thing isn’t perfect -” Tommy continued to remind her but was promptly cut off by an irritated Grace.

“I understand Tommy. But everything will go your way today. You’ve made a plan, now you just have to trust that everyone has done their part.” Grace virtually wanted to laugh at her last sentence. Tommy Shelby marginally trusted himself. For her to suggest to him that he had to simply trust was easier said than done. Tommy could count on one hand who he trusted. There were more people in this world that he didn’t trust.

Tommy nodded, not bothering to pick apart her last sentence since he could tell she had suggested a foolish thing. “Speaking of which,” Tommy started, finally reaching out for his tea. He took a small sip before continuing, knowing that a fight would surely ensue after what he was about to say. “You can’t come with me to Epsom.”

Grace’s eyes widened. Her hand, which had been previously rested on Tommy’s arm, now clasped against his wrist. “What?” 

Before anything could spill, he set his cup down. “Grace.” He grumbled, watching as she let go of his wrist. 

With a nervous grip, she clasped her right hand around her cup. The china was hot against her skin but she barely noticed because of her anger. “What do you mean?”

Tommy shook his head, finally able to take another sip of his tea. “I won’t let you.”

Grace scoffed, finally getting up from her seat. “You won’t let me?” She turned her back to Tommy and he watched her as she made her way to the kitchen.

Tommy sighed. He knew this news would not be easy for her to swallow. She was a spy and hadn’t used any of her skills in years. She yearned for some adventure but this was something Tommy would insist she stay out of. He had already implicated her too much. “Grace, I won’t allow you to see me take another man's life.” 

Tommy raised from his seat and followed her to the kitchen. He watched as she cleaned her cup with soap and water from the sink before placing the wet china on a tray where it would dry. He could tell how upset she was by how she washed the china. She scrubbed and scrubbed until Tommy was sure she would scrub the paint right off. When she finally turned to look at him, he was still leaning against the threshold of the door almost as if he was asking for her permission to enter the kitchen.

“Tommy, I’ve seen you maim more men than I can count.” Grace argued, not allowing for him to enter the kitchen. She physically couldn’t be near him right now.

Tommy shook his head once again. “I won’t have you implicated.”

Grace rolled her eyes, grabbing a rag from the counter and drying her hands. “I’m already implicated Tommy. I’m yours.” She set the rag down, finally taking a few steps towards him. She was an arm’s length away from him before she spoke again. “What are you afraid of?”

Tommy scowled. He hated that she used the word ‘afraid’ but she was right. He was afraid. “Grace, if something was to happen to you, I would never forgive myself. Please stay home, just this once.”

Tired, Grace kept her face in her lap. She had no further desire to argue with Tommy. It wasn't useful. One of the things she most admired about him was his stubbornness. Unfortunately, that day, his obstinacy was not working in her favour. While she would seldom admit it, Tommy did have a point, particularly then. She was a retired Crown officer. When they found her, she would be stripped of her achievements and hung. 

After a moment of silence between the two, Grace lifted her head out of her hands and finally spoke. “What about Solomons?”

Tommy smiles, reaching out to cup Grace’s face. She looks up to him, smiling now as well. “I need you Grace. Need your Irish charm.”

Grace rolls her eyes playfully, not responding to his cheeky comment. Instead, she leaned forward and captured her lips in his.

~

Unquestionably Grace had experienced sexism during her lifetime. She encountered inequalities so frequently as a woman living in the 1920s, that they became a natural part of her life. If she lived in New York or Birmingham, she was treated likewise by people. She had hoped there would be less barriers for her to tackle when she came to America but that was unfortunately not true. All about America she had read seemed like a fairy tale. She discovered that the same opportunities were available to every citizen in America and it was a country in which everyone could make a name for themselves. America has been known to be safe for anyone wanting to be. Grace soon realized this was valid, but with exceptions. If you were a wealthy white man you were free in America. America was your oyster if you were a white man. If you happened to be a black person, an immigrant, a woman, or some other minority, America would view you like every other place on Earth would. There were, of course, amazing possibilities in America, but nobody employed black people or women and refugees were not given the chance of other citizens. Grace, being an immigrant as well as a woman, didn't feel that much of a cultural shock. Sure, not many people have drank tea or British accents, but the general minority mentality has not changed and she has been treated the same way she has been treated in England.

One reason she loved Tommy was because, in a while, he was the first man to treat her as a true equal. He did not hide from her, he did not protect her from the danger to which he was confronted. He asked her for her thoughts, and also wanted her advice. Not only had Clive never taken her intelligence into account, but no man had. Her father, though a great man, would have been shocked to learn that Grace was a Crown officer doing something that he had considered the work of a man. While Tommy wasn't perfect, like trying to protect her when she wasn't in need of protection, he was much more eager to learn than any man she ever met and that was a start.

The only vision that gave Grace hope was that one day your skin or gender identity was not influencing how you were handled, but your heart content was. She hoped her great granddaughters would come to America over the next one hundred years and have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. If only in one hundred years she knew that, barely anything would change.

“There’s two things you need to know about Solomons.” Tommy said, interrupting Grace’s thoughts. He turned away from one of his men, named Ollie, and towards Grace. “He’s a narcissistic bloke; loves to hear himself talk. And he doesn’t trust women.”

Grace rolled her eyes. If she had a quid for every time a man did not trust her because she was a woman, she’d be richer than the king. “I’ll use that to my advantage then.” 

Tommy looked amused, not responding to the blonde but rather looking back to Ollie. “The next 10 minutes, you don't do or say anything I haven't told you. All right?”

Ollie nodded, glancing at Grace. She smirked for a moment, realizing that Ollie didn’t seem too keen on Grace being with them. She didn’t mind. Like she mentioned before, Grace was used to not being trusted because of her sex.

“All right?” Tommy questioned again, wanting a verbal response from the young lad.

“Yeah.” Ollie confirmed, squeezing onto his hat for dear life. 

Grace could tell the boy was nervous, sensing that he had never done something like this before. She thought back to when Tommy handed her a gun in the Garrison, telling her to point it at the men that were ready to kill him. She hadn’t thought twice about shooting the men that were representing the IRA. Not only because they were a part of the group that murdered her father, but also because they were a threat to Tommy’s life. She almost wanted to smile. The memory was a fond one, although in the moment she was terrified. 

Tommy bowed to the man guarding it as they rounded the corner of the Solomons distillery. They seemed to know each other but Grace realized it wasn't Solomons. Tommy had described him as an arse lost by himself and as such he carried himself. Although towering in height this man appeared unsure of himself and his place in the world. Alfie Solomons never doubted himself and his success.

Just as Tommy reached for the door, the man guarding it reached out to stop him. Tommy looked offended and the man slowly backed away. He seemed frightened to upset Tommy and Grace knew why. She had almost forgotten that Tommy was feared in Birmingham. “Oi! Hang on, just you, yeah? They stay out here.” He pointed at Tommy, not bothering to even meet Grace’s gaze. 

Tommy furrowed his brows, throwing his cigarette to the floor. “He can stay here.” Tommy points to Ollie, then turning back to the man. “She is my accountant.”

Grace grinned strategically, holding ever harder onto Tommy's briefcase. She knew it was because she was a woman. The man was not persuaded. He actually looked at Grace for the first time since Tommy embraced him. His eyes wagged down her body length, a smirk creeping onto her lips. Grace, though awkward, did not show it, and kept standing tall and not hiding behind Tommy.

When he finally made eye contact with her, he rolled his eyes. She wanted to punch him but she contained herself, only watching him as he looked to Tommy and chuckled. “Never met a lass good with numbers.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Yeah? Well now you have.”

The man sighed, pointing to the door. “Go on in. I’ll lead the way.”

Tommy opened Grace 's door, leaving her inside before he followed after her. We stood and walked in front of them as the man also entered. Even though Tommy knew where the office of Alfie was, he had to confuse the man, as Tommy bent down to tie his shoe. It was here that Grace arrived. Tommy would plant something near the liquor barrels, while she distracted the man. As Tommy nodded to her, asking her to continue their plan unintentionally, Grace followed behind the man and told him to stop while Tommy tied his shoes. Grace flirted with the man, as Tommy pretended to do so. As he spoke to her, she leaned forward, closer to him. She didn't care about anything he had to say but she knew how to behave like she was. Slowly, she reached to caress his hand, and gazed at Tommy. She knew this was the plan, but she flirted the entire time, and felt terrible. Tommy was right in front of her and knew there was a fire in him as he saw his girl flirting with another guy. Tommy finally stood up again and nodded to Grace, who eventually pulled away from the man. He glanced behind him and smiled, rolling his eyes as he realised that when Tommy was finished tying his shoe, he could not talk to Grace any more. They all went on, deeper into the beast's belly, not thinking as they did. Tommy had told Grace to tell Alfie what to do and, knowing his temperament, Grace realised that Tommy was trying to shield her from the wrath of Alfie. Yet she didn't worry. While the man opened the doors of Alfie's office and Grace came face to face with the man she knew was a greedy arse of money, Grace would not allow herself to be afraid. She was a spy, for the sake of Heaven. She 'd done even worse to men than Alfie Solomons. 

Without a word from Aflie, Grace and Tommy both took a seat before Alfie 's desk. While they waited for Alfie to finish what he was reading in silence, Grace looked up to Tommy and lifted her brows. Tommy instantly nodded before looking back at Alfie. A mannered lady, Grace couldn't believe how ill Alfie was. He hadn't said a word in the two minutes after they entered and sat. Whatever he was reading had to be life changing, Grace thought. 

The silence was broken by the ring of Alfie’s telephone. Grace instantly glanced to the telephone, taking her eyes off Alfie for only a moment. He still stayed still, reading the paper in front of him. 

Finally, after the second ring, Alfie spoke and pointed to the telephone. “That'll probably be for you, won't it?” 

It rang for the third time before Tommy stood up and reached over Alfie’s desk to pick up the phone. Grace continued to watch as the man that they had first met at the door stood beside Alfie, watching Grace. Grace scowled at him but he only chuckled, not seeing Grace as a threat. Yet.

“Hello?” Tommy said into the phone, his face relaxing when the other person on the line answered back. Grace knew this was a good sign. Arthur was out of prison. Alfie, for what seemed like the first time, had kept his promise. Tommy turned to Grace, still on the phone. “Arthur. You’re out.” 

Grace suppressed her smile, not wanting to show any emotions around Alfie. Tommy nodded to Grace before hanging up the telephone and sitting back down, not saying a word to Alfie or Grace.

“Right, so that'll be your side of the street swept up, won't it?” Alfie said, his eyes still remaining on the paper in front of him. Finally, after writing something down on the paper, he looked up. His eyes first went to Grace before he looked at Tommy. He almost looked offended that Grace was even in the same room as he was. “Where's mine? What you got for me?”

Tommy looked to Grace and nodded, allowing her to finally open the briefcase in her hand and reaching in and taking out a stack of papers. She flipped through a few before pulling out a folded piece of paper and waving it in front of Alfie’s face. Alfie looked bemused, watching as Grace set the paper on his desk.

“Signed by the Minister of the Empire himself.” Grace finally spoke, handing the paper to Alfie. At first, he refused to take it. Alfie did not want to do business with this woman, whoever she was to Tommy. He was here to fuck with Tommy and this woman was preventing him from doing so. Not only was she beautiful, he had been raised to not speak of business while women were in the room.

Tommy raised his brows, leaning forward in his chair. “Take it.”

Finally, Alfie looked back to Grace and did as he was told. He begrudgingly took the paper from Grace, reading the contents quickly before looking back up to Tommy. “Yeah? So it is.”

“This means that you can put your rum in our shipments, and no one at Poplar Docks will lift a canvas.” Tommy explained as Alfie watched Grace. Although slightly offended that Alfie was watching Grace, he knew that this would happen. He knew Alfie would not speak about business in front of women and a woman in his office would throw him off balance. Tommy wanted Alfie distracted.

“You know what?” Alfie asked, looking to Tommy now. “I'm not even going to have my lawyer look at that.”

“I know, it's all legal.” Tommy assured Alfie. In truth, it was but the conditions were quite different.

“You know what, mate, I trust you. That's that. Done.” Alfie placed the contract on his desk, tipping his hat in the direction of the paper. “So, whiskey.” Alfie mumbled, rummaging in his desk and quickly pulling out a bottle of whiskey. He looked to Grace, finally addressing her appropriately. “None for you though. You get nothing.”

Grace nodded, sweetly smiling. “Heard jews don’t make good whiskey anyways.” 

Tommy smirked, trying not to laugh as he watched Alfie’s face contort into one of astonishment. Although Alfie wanted to give this lass in front of him a piece of his mind for disrespecting him, he refrains. Alfie barely has any self control, but he used it then. Instead, he looked back at Tommy and spoke.“There is, uh, one thing, though, that we do need to discuss.”

Tommy takes a drag of his cigarette, bowling smoke directly at Alfie. Grace knows this tactic too well. Like a dragon breathing out fire, Tommy is trying to scare his opponent. “What would that be?”

Alfie sets down the whiskey on his desk. “It says here, ‘20% paid to me of your export business.’”

“As we agreed on the telephone.” Tommy nods, blowing another huff of smoke out from his nose. Grace is astonished to see how cold he acts. She remembers how Tommy describes Alfie. For Alfie, everything was about the reaction. To see who was the better man. As long as Tommy and Grace kept their cool and did not falter, they would have the upper hand on Alfie.

“No, no, no, no, no…” Alfie shakes his head, smirk evident on his lips. He opens a drawer in his desk, pulling out another document. “See, I've had my lawyer draw this up for us, just in case. It says that, here, that 100% of your business goes to me.”

Tommy does not react as Alfie gives him the new contract. “I see.” 

Although Grace wants to cause a scene and fight Alfie, she knows better. Alfie wants them to be upset. He wanted a reaction. As long as Grace and Tommy give him nothing, they will win. And if they don’t, they have a back up plan. 

“It's there. Right. Don't worry about it, right, 'cause it's totally legal binding.” Alfie reassures, not to comfort Tommy but to scare him. Tommy still refuses to react. Alfie leans across his desk and flips to the last page of the contract, pointing to where Tommy has to sign. “All you have to do is sign the document and transfer the whole lot over to me.”

Tommy leans forward to read the contract. “Sign just here, is it?” For a minute, Grace actually believes he might sign it and she is ready to stop him. 

“Yeah.” Alfie smirks, sitting back in his chair and waiting for Tommy to make the first move. He knows he has hit a nerve and disrespected Tommy by proposing such a ridiculous agreement, but he is trying to get a rise out of Tommy and he knows it. 

Tommy finally looks up from Alfie’s desk. With a burning cigarette in his hand, he speaks. “I see. That's funny. Isn’t it Grace?” He brings his cigarette to his lips before inhaling and exhaling the smoke. 

Alfie looks to Grace but Tommy continues to smoke until Grace answers. Luckily, Grace was more than happy to answer him. “Hilarious Tom.”

Alfie, a self righteous smirk on his face, looks between the two. “What?” He pretends to act confused but he is only pretending. He knows that this was an absurd proposal.

“No, that's funny. I'll give you 100% of my business.” Tommy clarifies what he means by repeating Alfie’s conditions. There is a small smirk in Tommy’s face and Grace forces herself to smirk along with him even though she is angry.

“Yeah.” Alfie nods, glaring at Tommy as he continues to smirk at his enemy. 

Tommy shrugs his shoulders. “Why?”

The man standing next to him fishes in his coat pocket before Alfie can react, and takes a pistol out, aiming it directly at Tommy. Grace responds in seconds, getting up and taking her gun out of Tommy's briefcase. While Tommy thought at one point of his conversation that a gun might be aimed at him, Grace never believed it would be this early on. Thankfully, the quick thinking skills she learned as a spy had not failed her. She was a better aim than anyone else and Tommy trusted she could hold her own.

“Put your guns away.” Alfie orders, amused as he watches Grace not falter even as he instructs her to put it away. Only when Alfie takes the gun away from the man beside him does Grace finally sit back down and put her gun back in Tommy’s briefcase. “Your girlfriend is scary Tommy.” Alfie jokes, chuckling as he watches Tommy’s cold glare. “Now, look, it's just non-fucking-negotiable. That's all you need to know. So all you have to do is sign the fucking contract. Right there.” Alfie points to the contract again. 

“Just sign here?” Tommy questions, trying to annoy Alfie.

“With your pen.” Alfie clarifies, slamming his finger against his desk. Grace can tell he is starting to get agitated.

“I understand.” Tommy acknowledges, not making any movement to actually get his pen and sign it.

“Good. Get on with it.” Alfie chides, glaring at Tommy as he continues to watch Tommy stay still.

Tommy finally picks up the papers but instead of signing them, he organizes them into a pile. “Well, I have an associate waiting for me at the door. I know that he looks like a choir boy, but he is actually an anarchist. Where is he from again Grace?”

Grace continues to smirk, watching as Alfie’s eyes move to her. “Kentish Town.”

Although Grace can tell Alfie is starting to become nervous over where this conversation is going, he tries to hide it. “Tommy…” He warns the man in front of him, hoping that Tommy is not insinuating what he thinks he is. “I’m going to fucking shoot you.”

Grace snorts. “And if you do, I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”

Alfie looks to Grace, annoyed. “Ladies should use proper language.”

Grace rolled her eyes, not responding and waiting for Tommy to continue speaking. Finally, he does. “Now, when I came in here, Mr. Solomons, I stopped to tie my shoelace.” He looks to the man standing beside Alfie. “Isn't that a fact?”

The man doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks out the window of Alfie’s office. Grace can see the fear in his eyes, realizing that Tommy indeed stopped to tie his shoes but he was too distracted by Grace. 

“I stopped to tie my shoelace?” Tommy asks again. When the man looks back at him, he continues. “And while I was doing it, I laid a hand grenade on one of your barrels, Mark 15, with wired trip. And my friend upstairs, well, he's like one of those anarchists that blew up Wall Street, you know? He's a professional. And he's in charge of the wire. If we don't walk out that door on the stroke of 7:00, he's going to trigger the grenade and your very combustible rum will blow us all to hell. And I don't care cause I'm already dead.”

Alfie watches Tommy intently, trying to see if Tommy was bluffing. When he can’t tell, he looks to Grace. “You’d die for this man?”

Grace shrugs. “I won’t have to die if you agree to our conditions.”

The man beside Alfie begins to panic, realizing that neither Tommy nor Grace are bluffing. “He tied his lace, Alfie. And there is a kid at the door.”

“From a good family too. It's shocking what they become.” Grace adds, pointing to the man. He gulps, now frightened of the woman he once underestimated. 

Alfie, fed up with the antics, turns to the man beside him and speaks. “What were you doing when this happened?”

Realizing that he may get in trouble with Alfie, the man tries to defend himself. “He tied his lace, nothing else.”

Alfie shakes his head, annoyed. “Yeah, but what were you doing?”

The man looks to Grace, who now has her arms crossed over her chest. “I was speaking with the lass.”

Alfie chuckled, the anger evident. “So you let a girl distract you?” Tommy checked his watch, showing Grace the time. 6:45. Alfie, still angry, glared at Tommy. “What are you doing?”

Tommy shrugged, watching as they looked at him nervously. “Just checking the time. Carry on.”

Alfie glares at Tommy for a moment, the tension in the air thick. Finally, he picks up the gun from his desk and hands it to the man beside him. “I want you to go outside, yeah, and shoot that boy in the face from the good family, all right?”

Tommy shakes his head, glaring at the man. “Anyone walks through that door except Grace and I, he blows the grenade.”

The man takes a deep breath, not trying to hide his nerves anymore. “He tied his fucking lace…”

Tommy nods, looking back to Alfie, “I did tie my lace.”

Alfie takes the gun away from the man again, this time holding it in his hand. “I bet, 100 to 1, you're fucking lying, mate. That's my money.” Alfie watches as each bullet is holstered in the gun.

Before Tommy can rebuttal, Grace does so for him. “Well, see, you've failed to consider the form. He did blow up his own pub for the insurance.”

The man beside Alfie sighs, his hands coming up to rub his eyes. He seemed very stressed about his current situation and Alfie tried his best to remain calm, glaring at Tommy. After minutes of silence, Alfie spoke. “OK right... Well, considering the form, I would say 65 to 1. Very good odds. And I would be more than happy and agree if you were to sign over 65% of your business to me. Thank you.”

“Sixty-five?” Tommy raises his brows and looks at Grace. She shakes her head. “No deal.” Tommy looks to the man beside Alfie. “What do you say?”

The man panics, leaning close to Alfie and pleading. “He tied his fucking lace, I saw him!”

“Mmm-hmm.” Alfie grumbles, not tearing his hand away from Tommy. 

“He planted a grenade, I know he did. Alfie, it's Tommy fucking Shelby.”

Alfie lunges out of his chair and slaps the man, grabbing a hold of his collar and shaking him. “You're behaving like a fucking child. This is a man's world. Take your apron off, and sit in the corner like a little boy. Fuck off. Now.” Grace continues to smirk, enjoying seeing Alfie stressed. 

The man passes Grace and Tommy and goes to sit down on the couch behind them. Alfie glanced at his watch, his eyes widened in surprise. Tommy nods, speaking again. “Four minutes.”

Alfie glares, sitting back down. “All right. Four minutes. Talk to me about hand grenades.”

Tommy nods. “The chalk mark on the barrel, at knee height. It's a Hamilton Christmas. I took out the pin and put it on the wire.” Tommy finally shows Alfie the key from the grenade. He twirls it between his fingers, almost as if he is mocking Alfie.

Alfie’s eyes narrow as he watches the key in Tommy’s hand. When Tommy drops the key in Alfie’s glass, he finally speaks. “Based on this forty-five percent.” He grabs the key from the glass and examines it closely. Although Alfie wishes this was fake, he knows that this is a real key.

Grace shakes her head. “Thirty.”

“Oh, fuck off. Tommy, talk to your girl. That's far too little.” Alfie grumbles, throwing the key back at Tommy. It lands on the desk, right in front of Tommy.

“In France, Mr Solomons,” Tommy started, picking up the key. “while I was a tunneller, a clay-kicker. 179. I blew up Schwaben Höhe. Same kit I'm using today.”

Alfie leans forward. “It's funny, that. I do know the 179. And I heard they all got buried.”

Grace listens intently now. Tommy never spoke of his time in the war so to see him telling Alfie a story of how he was buried alive sent shivers down her spine. Grace could imagine the dirt pressing against her chest, the confining feeling of the tunnel restricting her breathing. She couldn’t imagine what Tommy went through, but she imagined it was terrifying. 

Tommy shook his head. “Three of us dug ourselves out.”

Alfie smirks. “Like you’re digging yourself out now.”

Tommy nods. “Like I'm digging now.”

Alfie leans back, glancing at Grace. “Fuck me. Your man never bluffs?”

Grace shakes her head. “Never.”

Alfie rolls his eyes, sighing heavily. “Listen, I'll give you 35%. That's your lot.”

Tommy nods, his lips in a thin line. “Thirty-five.”

They stay silent for another moment before Alfie stands up and spits on his hand. Grace and Tommy stand up with him, Tommy spitting on his hand as well. Grace watches as they shake hands, Alfie clearly impressed on how well Tommy was able to manipulate him. When they broke away from each other, he looked to Grace, a bemused look written across his face. Grace glared back at him, still angry over him trying to swindle both Tommy and her.

“You lot are like Bonnie and Clyde.” Alfie chuckled, watching as they both turned around and made their way to his door.

Before Grace exited, she turned back to Alfie, a smirk now on her face. “Good luck Mr. Solomons.”

~

The reconciliation between the Shelby family and Grace was still long overdue and uncomfortable. While Arthur, Finn and Ada seemed satisfied as long as Tommy was, they were not as persuaded as John and Michael were. Grace had undermined the trust of the family and from Polly's point of view Michael's first experiences of Grace were not exhibiting Grace in a positive light. When the family reunited before the Derby for the last time, Grace finally talked individually to each boy. Save for Polly. She had to show her face yet and Grace realized that it was because she tried to avoid her. Grace could not be offended. She knew it would take Polly a while to open up to her again, particularly because Grace had pointed a gun at her the last time they saw each other.

As the hour approached for the Shelby men to leave, grace could feel the tension in the air. Tommy, who had barely spoken since he arrived to see his brother out of jail and safe and sound, was now checking to make sure they were all prepared. As he busied himself, Grace spoke to Arthur. 

“I’m so sorry you had to be in jail.” Grace sympathized, watching Tommy pace the room from the corner of her eye. 

“Ah,” Arthur waved off, shrugging his shoulder. “Wasn’t as bad. Just glad I got out.”

Grace nodded. “Glad to have you back.”

Arthur stayed silent for a moment, leaning forward to whisper to Grace. “Listen, everyone is willing to forgive you because we love Tommy and all that. The only person you are gonna have a problem with is Polly.”

Grace nods, clasping her hands together. “I understand.”

Arthur shrugs, leaning away. “Are you back for good darling?” He speaks louder this time, trying to act as if he wasn’t kind to her four seconds ago. Arthur loved to keep up the appearance that he was a mean arse, but in actuality, that was far from the truth.

Grace smiled. “Yes.”

Arthur smirked, his eyes full of mischief. At least Arthur had not changed much in two years. “I’m glad. Tommy’s been a whiny bloke without you.”

Grace giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Has he really?” Although she knew Tommy would never admit it, she also knew Arthur would take any chance to make fun of his brother. 

Arthur nodded eagerly. “Past two years he’s been like Grace did this and that. Was gonna shoot meself if you didn’t come back for the poor lad.”

Grace chuckled, thinking of the scenario Arthur was just describing. She had been the same, although she never voiced it. Whenever something happened in her life, she would always think of Tommy and wondered what he was doing. It became a terrible habit that would even make the happiest days sad but she couldn’t help it. All her days were consumed with thoughts of him. It comforted her in some way to know his days consisted of relatively the same. Before she could thank Arthur for giving her a good laugh, Tommy intervened. 

“Oi! What are you saying?” Tommy called, stepping beside Grace. 

“Just how much of an arse you were while Grace was gone.” Arthur joked, flipping Tommy off.

Tommy rolled his eyes. “We’re leaving now.” 

Tommy pointed to the door of his office where John, Finn, Johnny Dogs, and some men Grace did not recognize started to gather. They all talked amongst themselves, seeming to be happy although they were about to break the law and wreak havoc. That was the Peaky Blinders though; they thirsted after danger. As Tommy discussed the plan with Arthur, Grace stood beside him but did not bother herself into worrying over what they were saying. She was watching Michael Gray. They never spoke to one another and she knew he felt awkward around her the moment she entered the room. Polly had obviously told him something horrible and she wanted to change his mind about her. Maybe if she got on Michael’s good side, Polly would be easier to convince. At least, that was Grace’s plan. She never had to convince someone to like her. Either someone liked her or they did not; she was not looking for anyone’s approval. This entire act of convincing someone to like her was a new feeling to Grace and she did not like it one bit. With not a moment longer to dwell on her plan or how she felt about it, she strode forward, toward Michael. He was away from the door, leaning against one of the desks. He stood uncomfortably and Grace knew why. He was the odd man out. He technically wasn’t a Shelby or part of the Peaky Blinders. Grace could relate to him. She felt like an outlaw as well. She supposed that once Michael and her struck up a conversation, maybe they would realize they have more in common than they realized.

“Michael?” She called out as she approached the boy. He couldn’t be more than seventeen. His face was still round, the baby fat not entirely gone. 

He looked to her, a perpetual frown on her face. “Yeah?” He wore a suit that resembled Arthur’s but he looked uncomfortable in it. It fit him, but it didn’t suit him. 

He resembled a child wearing his father’s suit; although it might have fit now, he was his own person and would not be able to smoothly transition into Polly’s world. Grace feared that when a boy like Michael was never given power throughout his childhood suddenly stumbled upon an enormous amount of power, he would take it for granted. 

“I’m Grace.” Grace introduced herself, extending her hand for him to shake. “You're Polly’s son, correct?”

Michael nodded, shaking her hand. “Yeah. And you’re Tommy’s girl.” He sounded bitter and Grace knew now for certain, that Polly had told him something horrible.

“Are they not allowing you to go to Epsom either?” Grace asked, watching the door as the men finally started to leave.

Michael shook his head. “Polly won’t let me.”

Grace chuckled, patting Michael on the shoulder. She was surprised to see he didn’t flinch. He looked at her in a way she couldn’t interpret. “Wouldn’t want to upset your mother.”

Michael said nothing. He seemed to feel very uncomfortable with their entire exchange and she knew why. Grace also knew what she had to do to clear the air. She had to be blunt. It was the only way for the tension to clear between them. As soon as she began speaking to the boy, she had felt tension so thick it was almost as if there was a wall dividing them. She hoped that if she lay all her cards out on the table, maybe Michael would do the same and they could finally get along properly.

“I worked as an Officer of the Crown and betrayed Tommy. I know Polly told you but I want to know that you can trust me.”

Michael said nothing at first, his face relaxed. It took him a few moments to digest what she had just told him but once he had, he spoke. “Polly exaggerates her stories. Glad I met you for myself.” With that, he stood up from the desk and made eye contact with her. “Hopefully we’ll see more of you.”

Grace saluted Michael. Before she could thank him for being so understanding, considering the circumstances, Tommy appeared behind her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, twirling her around to face him. Michael took this as his opportunity to leave, watching as Tommy smiled for what seemed for the first time. He finally knew Tommy’s weakness. Although Michael would not betray Tommy for upwards of five years, Michael now had information against Tommy that would crumble his business. 

“What were you speaking about?” Tommy questioned, leaning forward and giving Grace a chaste kiss.

When she pulled away from him, she answered. “Ah, nothing. Life, I suppose.”

Tommy raised his brows. “Life?” Although he trusted that Michael was a smart man, he did not seem like the type to begin a lecture on the philosophy of life and death to a woman he had just met. Tommy supposed that when Grace said ‘life’ she actually meant Polly.

Grace nodded, wanting to change the subject. “Are you all leaving now?”

Tommy’s smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. “Yes. I’ll see you tonight.”

Grace shook her head. “Promise me Tom.” She believed that if he promised her, maybe nothing indeed would hurt him.

Tommy leaned forward once again, kissing Grace. When they broke away again, he spoke. “Yes Grace. I promise.”

She wished that there was some way for her to know for certain that Tommy would come home to her after everything was all said and done. As she watched Tommy leave with his men, she closed her eyes and focused on the sound of her breathing. Grace had lost her faith in God years ago, right around the time her father died. Her uncle, who had given a speech at her father`s funeral, told the crowd that it was God's will. Grace resented that. She couldn’t allow herself to believe that God would take her father away from her. Now, as she focused on the sounds of her breath, she tried to believe in anything. Even if it seemed foolish to her now, Grace wanted to believe that if there really was a God and he harboured only good intentions, he would protect Tommy today. Although Grace told herself that this was daft, and that God could care less about her dimwit plea, she wanted to believe that just this once he would listen.

“Well, isn’t it Persephone herself.” A voice from behind Grace called, drawing her attention back to the present.

When she opened her eyes, she was not surprised to see Polly. Although she had not heard the woman’s voice in over two years, she could never forget it. Unlike Grace’s soft accent, Polly’s was harsh and bitter. Grace supposed that behind closed doors when she spoke to family, it softened but she knew it would not soften in front of her. Not until Grace proved herself. And she was willing to. Not only for Tommy, but for herself. She had looked up to Polly in some demented way and it hurt her to know that Polly saw her literally as the devil’s wife.

Polly was well dressed. Since Grace’s departure two years ago, Polly’s fashion sense had turned a corner and she dressed more modern. No longer did Polly have wild curly hair but it was tied up and combed. She had swapped out her loose fitted dresses with tailored women’s suits with skirts that just passed where it was appropriate. She had drastically changed and Grace knew that this was not only because the Shelby Company was making her more money than ever before, but also because she was a mother again and had to look presentable in front of her son.

“If I’m the devil’s wife, then who’s the devil?” Grace asked, clutching onto her handbag. She was a nervous wreck, knowing that at any moment a fight may erupt. She had pointed a gun at Polly before but barely made it out with her life. She wasn’t willing to do the same now.

“I suppose that would be your husband.” Polly chided, lighting her cigarette. “Or are you divorced now? So hard to tell these days.”

Grace knew she was trying to be crass. Polly was waiting to find a moment to tease Grace and her matrimony was definitely something that was embarrassing. “I’m getting a divorce.”

Polly nodded, sitting on the edge of her desk, smoking her cigarette and glaring at the blonde in front of her. “Don’t expect us to get along dear.” grumbled Polly.

Grace’s throat was dry. “I’m not here to get along with everyone. I’m here because I love Tommy.” Although she had hoped for Polly to be more understanding, she knew she most likely would not. Grace tried to be positive; at least she had not shot her the moment she laid eyes on Grace.

Polly smirked, surprised Grace had been bold enough. “So do I. That’s why I can’t forgive you.” In some strange way, she respected Grace. Grace was blunt and she had to give the girl some credit; she knew how nerve wracking it could be to confront someone like Polly.

Grace straightened her back, her stomach churning. “I never asked for your forgiveness.” She felt as though she might throw up like she had been doing for the past couple of days. She hoped what she believed to be a stomach bug would soon disappear.

Polly seemed surprised. She would admit, she thought that Grace was only here to beg for her forgiveness. Tommy did not like the idea of Polly and Grace being at odds with one another and he rather they reconciled. Although Tommy had forgiven Grace, Polly surely would not. Now that she knew the girl was not here to beg for forgiveness, she was curious to know what she was here in the first place. Surely, if she cared so little about whether Polly would forgive her or not, she would be at home. This meant Grace had something to say.

“Then what is it?” Polly questioned, finally putting out her cigarette. She stood up, only six feet away from Grace.

“Although I would love for us to turn a new leaf and, in some ways begin again,” Grace began, walking towards Polly. Polly stood still, now fascinated with what Grace had to say. “I know that is not possible. If you love Tommy that way I know you do, we should lay this battle to rest. He’s happy with me. I have betrayed him but I’m keeping that in the past. I’ve proven my loyalty to him. You say you haven’t forgotten my past and I hope you haven’t. Neither has Tommy. He’s willing to use my experience to his advantage. I hope you can see me as an advantage, not an obstacle. We do not have to like each other, we do not have to get along. I respect you and you respect me. We are the two most important women in Tommy’s life and we should be working together.”

Although Polly is astonished at Grace’s little speech, she does not show it. She does not want to give Grace the satisfaction. She starts to realize that maybe she was wrong about Grace. Instead of admitting that aloud, she acknowledges Grace’s words by nodding. “Fine.” Polly extends her hand, watching as Grace shakes it. When they let go, Polly speaks again. “I must say, you have changed Grace. You’re stronger.”

Grace smiles, showing none of her teeth. She’s afraid to speak. For one, she realizes Polly is right. She entered Shelby Company Ltd. today with the idea that she needed to please Michael and Polly and she left today knowing that she doesn’t need their approval. She is her own person and she has made her mistakes. She is redeemable and she deserves to be treated as such. She no longer needs people to like her, just respect her. Polly, in a bizarre way, taught her that. 

The second reason she refuses to speak is because she can feel her stomach begin to churn more violently, signalling to her that she is about to throw up. She tries to hide it from Polly by turning away from her but Polly is too clever. In an instant, the second Grace turns away, Polly grabs a hold of her shoulder and spins her back around. This grip is not threatening or aggressive, it’s gentle. Like a mother’s touch. Grace does not make eye contact with Polly, clutching her stomach. She focuses on her breath, trying to take deep breaths in and out evenly. She thinks of Tommy and her father. She thinks of violets and roses; anything that gives her joy. Polly holds one of Grace’s arms, trying to steady her. She knows something is wrong and instantly forgets about their duel and instead focuses on helping Grace. Polly can not believe that she is actually helping Grace. Only hours ago, she would have laughed in her face if Grace ever needed help but now, she’s acting like her midwife. 

“What’s the matter?” Polly investigates, making eye contact with Grace.

“I’m a tad nauseous.” Grace answers, trying to make her voice sound as calm as possible. 

A bulb flickers on in Polly’s head. She moves Grace to a chair and helps her sit down, hoping the nauseous feeling will subside eventually. They wait a few moments and finally, Grace is able to stop clutching her stomach and answer some of Polly’s questions.

“Grace,” Polly whispers, leaning forward before deciding to speak again. “When was your last cycle?”

Grace thinks for a moment. When she realizes that she can’t remember, her eyes widen. “No…”

Polly smirks, reaching down to feel Grace breasts. Although stiff for a moment because she feels awkward, Grace is hoping what Polly is insinuating is not true. When Polly is finished examining, she looks up to the ceiling and smiles. This is the first time Grace has ever seen Polly genuinely smile and Grace can only hope that it is good news. 

“Grace, you’re up the duff.” Polly chuckles, lighting another cigarette.

Grace shakes her head in disbelief. “How far along?”

“Ah,” Polly hums, taking a drag of her cigarette before giving it to Grace. Grace shrugs, thinking that this was her way of celebrating. “Four weeks at the most.”

Grace nods, staring off to the wall behind Polly. She knows Polly is speaking to her but she is too distracted to listen. She hadn’t had sex with Clive in over four months. Between him being at work and then being at home but piss drunk, he barely had any time for her. She was reunited with Tommy four weeks ago. It’s Tommy. Grace is smiling so wide her cheeks begin to hurt. A baby. 

“Grace, are you listening?” Polly raised her voice, waving her cigarette in Grace’s face. 

Grace finally focuses on Polly again, the smile still written all over her face. “We’re going to Epsom.”

~

The excitement that was in the air on Derby Day reminded Tommy that of a child on the first day of school. Tommy was never very interested in education or the work involved but the first day of school was very exciting for him no matter in what year he was in. He never knew what instructor he was going to have, who he was going to meet in his lessons, or what he was going to learn all year round but the mystery gave him some form of exhilaration. It was the unknown that had him the most excited. He never knew what the day was going to bring him but whatever it brought, Tommy knew he was going to be either happy or sad. That is what Derby Day felt like. People who lined up and placed their bets didn't know whether their horse would win or not but they were intrigued by the unknown. They couldn't wait to know whether they were lucky or not, just like kids on the first day of school. 

He felt the enthusiasm as Tommy walked along the track. He could sense it in the rain, and hear it at every podium in the whispered bets. Yet today, Tommy went to the stables where his horse was, instead of making a bet and getting ready for the unknown. May be in there. She would be there along with the men she hired to wait with the horse until his equestrian arrived. So, when it was time for the race, it would take the horse and equestrian to the tracks where hundreds and hundreds of spectators would watch every horse race. Even though he was anxious to see how May would behave around him, he was much more concerned about the assassination that he would have to do today. Although he respected May, he forced himself not to dally in the stables and instead concentrated on the task at hand. 

The second he entered the stables, May’s attention quickly shifted towards him. “She threw a shoe coming out of the box.” She commented, clarifying as to why one of her men was hammering at the horseshoe.

Tommy approached his horse, his hand out to greet the beauty. As he pet her, he leaned forward and whispered calmly to the horse. “Eh?” The horse could not speak but Tommy still spoke to it as he did. May loved to see him like this. He seemed so gentle, speaking to an animal as if it were a person. He seemed nothing like the man she had gotten to know as he pet his horse. “She looks in fine shape.” Tommy did not look at May as he spoke to her and instead continued to pet his horse, looking in it’s eyes now. “Hello, hello, hello. I missed you, buck. Missed you, buck.”

May crossed her arms over her chest as she silently watched the man in front of her lovingly stroking the horse he affectionately named after his love. She swallowed all the bitterness she felt lump in her throat. Today was Derby Day and she would not choke up over Tommy now. Finally, after moments of silence between them, Tommy lifted his head and focused on May. She stood away from him but as soon as he raised his head, he took a few steps forward.

“Should I be worried?” Tommy asked calmly, not particularly interested in May’s response. His mind was elsewhere and he was only exchanging niceties with May then as a formality.

May could tell this was the case by his tone, so she answered back just as uninterested. “You should not. Go and drink, enjoy the day. I'll come and find you when the race is done.”

Tommy decided against bringing up the fact that he could not meet her after the race. Mostly due to the fact that after the race, he will have to make a clean getaway as to not be detected by the men Campbell sent to have him executed. Instead, he looked to the stable wall and examined a red dress hanging against it. He finally stood beside May and pointed to it. “Hmm, that's nice. Is that yours?”

May nodded, surprised he even noticed the dress. “My mother wore it to the Derby in 1895. She was presented to Queen Victoria. After the race, I'll change in the horse box and then come and join you up there with the toffs, what do you say?”

Tommy avoided the eye contact May was trying to make with him. He wanted to tell her something different, but he didn’t have the heart to do so. “Hm? Yeah.”

May was perceptive enough to understand what Tommy’s lack of eye contact truly meant. “You don't want me to join you.”

Tommy said nothing, glancing at the pocket watch in his hand before looking back at May. He said nothing, only watching as she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Once she did so, she opened her eyes again and tried to decipher the emotion behind Tommy’s eyes. When she realized what it was, she finally spoke.

“Is she here?” May refrained from letting her voice sound bitter. She would not allow herself to crumble in front of Tommy. Yet, as she watched him shake his head, she felt as if she would dissolve into tiny pieces. When he refrained from speaking, she spoke with a smile on her face. “It's fine. I'll stay down here in the mud.”

Tommy turned to her and reached for her hand. He knew this was goodbye. Although he could never know for sure, he felt that this might be the last time he ever saw May. With a gentle squeeze, Tommy leaned forward and kissed May’s hand. “Whatever happens today, it was good.”

May retracted her hand once she felt Tommy’s lips. She quickly stuffed her hand in the pocket of her coat, a tingling feeling spreading through the back of her hand, up to her arm. She knew the true meaning behind Tommy’s words but she did not let on that she knew. “You mean, win or lose?”

Tommy looked amused, taking a drag of his cigarette. “Yeah. Win or lose.”

May looked down to her feet, not daring to show Tommy the hurt in her eyes. “You know, I never watch the race. Can't stand it. I always like to find somewhere dark and quiet.”

She watched as Tommy took a deep breath, letting the air blow out from his nose. He seemed more stressed than he ought to be and May didn’t have the foggiest idea as to why. Tommy waited a couple of moments before speaking again, trying to find the words without alarming May. “Whatever happens, May, no regrets.”

May looked confused for a moment and Tommy hoped she had not picked up on his stressed demeanour. Although she had, she figured it was because of the race. Never in a million years would she have connected the dots. To calm his racing mind, May cupped his cheek and smiled. “No regrets.”

Tommy had tried to appear calmer when May spoke. While she had not reassured him enough, he did not wish to intimidate her. He walked away from May with a deep breath and respectfully smiled one last time. He smiled, tipped his hat a little and walked past her. He felt the pit expanding in his stomach as he walked away from May. When Tommy made his way out of the stables and into the noisy tent where hundreds of people were housed, he was thinking about when he was a boy. There have been moments where he felt the same pit in his stomach as he did now, and then, something terrible still happened. He had the same feeling just before he got the news that his mother died and just before he found out that Grace had betrayed him. That feeling in his stomach never betrayed him and he trusted it but now, he hoped it was wrong. Nothing could go wrong. If it did, Tommy would be dead. He hoped that this feeling was wrong but deep down, he knew it was not. 

As he entered the tent, the first thing that hit him was the smell. Tommy knew it would not smell pleasant but he was not prepared for how ghastly it truly smelled. The mixture of horse shit and whiskey made a dreadful smell. One that made him want to take a long drag of his cigarette. But he refused to light his smoke, not wanting even the smallest thing to distract him. As he scanned the crowd, he met Arthur’s gaze only for a moment. They were purchasing tickets at one of the many stands, which was part of the plan. The officers that regularly watched the Marshal had to be distracted and that was where John and Arthur came in. As they distracted the officers, Tommy would have enough time to kill the Marshal and get away. 

After minutes of idly walking around the tent and searching for the Marshal, Tommy found him having a smoke with one of the many Lieutenants he served with. Tommy observed the Marshal as he laughed, completely oblivious to what was going on around him. Tommy almost wanted to laugh. For someone that was supposed to be a decorated officer of the Crown, he seemed ignorant to the fact that at any moment he could be in danger.

Finally, the Marshal bid his fellow comrade adieu, taking one last gulp of his whiskey before heading to the exit of the tent. Tommy discreetly followed far behind the Marshal, keeping his head down. As they both exited the tent, Tommy watched as the Marshal stood in line. Tommy’s plan was working out so far. This line that started at the bottom of a set of stairs, led to the seats of many officers. Marshal was one of them. Before taking his seat, he knew the Marshal could not resist sitting down at the bar upstairs and having another glass of his favourite whiskey. Then, he would use the lavatory and that was when Tommy would strike. He would kill the Marshal in the lavatory and make his quick escape. If everything went according to his plan, Tommy would be out of Epsom before anyone found the Marshal’s body. 

Tommy seemed so wrapped up in his plan that he barely noticed when someone approached him as he waited in line. Only when she pulled on his elbow to get his attention, did he finally notice the blonde beside him. Tommy watched in awe as Grace stood in front of him, in a dress he had not seen her in before. It was light pink, as was the coat around her body and he wanted to compliment her but he was too shocked to speak. Grace was the last person he thought he would see at the Derby today, especially when he had given her strict orders not to come.

“I have to talk to you.” Grace said quickly, glancing around to the line of people that were waiting behind Tommy.

A look of bewilderment crossed Tommy’s face and Grace knew he was scared to know why she had refused to listen to him and come. “Grace. What are you doing here?”

Grace only persisted. It was urgent and could not wait. “I have to talk to you.”

“Grace,” Tommy sighed, looking to the Marshal who climbed further up the stairs. When he looked back to Grace, he could see the urgency in her eyes. “This is not a good time.” His bewilderment slowly turned to annoyance as he held onto Grace’s back and guided her down the steps and to the right.

Grace hoped that when she told him the wonderful news, he would be less angry. As they stopped beside a brick wall, right beside the stairs, Grace could see that Tommy’s mind was everywhere. As much as she knew that this was not a good time considering what he was about to do, she knew he needed to know before he carried through with this plan. 

“Whatever it is Grace,” Tommy said once they were far enough away from everyone. “I’ll have to wait.” Tommy glanced up, to the Marshal who was still waiting in line. This needed to be quick. 

Grace shook her head, cupping Tommy’s face with her hands to get him to make eye contact with her. Once he did, she spoke. “It can’t. I’m pregnant.”

Tommy’s mind exploded. This was definitely not news he thought he would get today out of all days. The day he had to kill a man. He glanced to Grace’s stomach, shaking his head in disbelief. “How?”

Grace smiled. Although a silly question to ask, she knew what he actually meant. “Polly told me so. Says it’s going to be a boy too.”

Tommy still stared at Grace’s stomach in disbelief. “A boy?” He almost could not comprehend what Grace was telling him. He imagined a boy that looked like Grace. One with blonde hair and fair skin, with eyes that resembled the ocean. His lips turned up, a small smile on his lips as he thought about Grace soon having a swollen belly. A baby, he thought.

Grace nodded, a smile still on her face. “Yes.” She watched as Tommy’s lips turned down into a frown, glancing down at her stomach once more before looking back into her eyes.

“You have to leave now Grace.” Tommy instructed, any semblance of joy removed from his face.

Grace frowned now. “Tommy -”

“Grace, you understand I have things to do. A pregnant woman should not be at the Derby.” Tommy grumbled, tearing Grace’s hands away from her face and holding onto her right one. 

Grace pulls away, her jaw set. “I’m not leaving unless you leave with me.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “When the race is over -”

Grace scoffed, cutting Tommy off before he got a word in edgewise. “After the race? After the fucking race? I’m not raising this child without a father.”

Tommy glanced up at the Marshal again, realizing he was now entering the balcony of the Derby. Tommy needed to get up there and quick. “Grace, please. I need to -”

“No.” Grace said stubbornly, holding onto Tommy’s arm. “I know what you’re going to do and I was on board, but now, you can’t do it Tommy. Not when there’s a possibility you could die.”

Tommy sighed, reaching up to rub his temples. “Grace, wait for me in the tent. After I am done, I will find you.”

Before Grace had time to argue, Tommy stormed away. He had too much on his mind. Now, he was to be a father. Just as a new life was to be formed, Tommy would take a man’s life. He loved Grace, although it was hard for him to say it. He knew he had to stay alive now. Of course he wanted to do so before, but Grace being pregnant only solidified the fact that she was his and she would be his forever. Whatever it took, he told himself, he would stay alive. He wouldn’t let his child grow up without a father. Not like he had. Tommy finally caught his breath as he made it farther up the stairs. The news had taken his breath away and only now was he able to catch it. He peered through the crowd on the balcony and spotted the Marshal. Tommy knew what he had to do and who he needed.

~

If there was one thing that Grace hated about being a spy, it was the wait. Often she 'd have to wait hours, even days, until she 'd been permitted to charge an individual. For days, they 'd be right before her and all she could do was swallow her pride and wait. She didn't feel this way, when she was undercover in Small Heath. Tommy was a great diversion and while she was with him, time flew. Yet most of her duties at Birmingham were not as fascinating as the one she was a part of. Much of it was just sitting in her apartment (paid by the Crown) and going to work where the suspect was. Grace was still troubled by this. Mostly because she felt helpless while she was sitting around to see the action happen. This is why she liked to work with Tommy; he never made her feel useless.

Until now. Now as she waited at the bar, a cigarette between her lips, she felt utterly useless. She knew she couldn’t do anything, not since she found out she was pregnant. She didn’t blame Tommy for not wanting her to get involved, especially considering what was growing in her stomach now. But, as Grace waited, all she could do was think. It had only been around ten minutes but Grace’s mind wandered to dangerous territory. She imagined Tommy getting caught and being interrogated. She imagined Campbell punishing him for failing the mission and her mind wandered to the image of Tommy in a casket. Her stomach lurched forward.

Grace shook her head, taking a drag of her cigarette. She told herself to stop being so pessimistic. She would see Tommy in a few hours. Soon enough, they would be reunited. Grace continued to tell herself this, even as the image of Tommy’s casket was ingrained in her brain. 

“Miss Grace Burgess,” a voice called from beside Grace. She turned her head right towards the voice and focused on the figure beside her. 

Grace’s eyes widened, her lips parting in shock. “Campbell.” She regained her composure, nodding to the man standing beside her.

Campbell tipped his hat forward, limping forward and slowly taking a seat down in front of the woman he once loved. “I can’t say I’m surprised to see you here.” 

Grace smirked, taking a drag of her cigarette. “You, out of everyone, knows I don’t run from a fight.”

Campbell chuckles, a smug expression written across his face. “I thought I did. I was wrong.”

Grace cocks her head to the side, glaring as she watched Campbell grip onto his cane. “Still agitated over your proposal?”

Campbell sighs, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you’re willing to whore yourself around.”

Grace smirks, knowing that Campbell’s indifference towards her is because of her refusal of his proposal two years ago. She ignored his hurtful words, too upset to take it personally. “I suppose you thought that I would be delighted by your proposal? Delighted that a man the same age as my father thought he had some claim over me.”

Campbell smiled, shaking his head. “So you chose him?”

Grace frowned. All these years later and he still didn’t understand. “I chose my happiness.”

Campbell scoffed, rolling his eyes. “And here you are; waiting for your love as he kills a man.”

Grace shrugs, putting out her cigarette against the table in front of her. “And here you are. All you got was a bullet and a fucking wolf head cane.”

Distressed by Grace's anger, Campbell pounds his fist into the table. She doesn't flinch, and doesn't let Campbell see how worried she is. Grace knows Campbell 's emotional ins and outs. He acknowledges the extent of narcissism in Campbell; he feels that everyone owes him. He claims he has God's compassion on his hand and redemption certitude. Knowing this, Grace understands she can’t show any weakness. 

“Thanks to you.” Campbell utters bitterly, finally standing up from his chair and moving closer to Grace.

Almost instinctively, Grace stands up from her seat and moves away from Campbell. Grace knows that this will be the last time they speak to each other. Campbell is here to complete his mission. Grace is the last person he needs to take care of. Just as Campbell reaches forward, trying to grab a hold of Grace, she moves out of his path.

“Leave me be.” Grace spits, only her chair between them now.

She worries what Campbell may try to do with her so she declines to expose him. She will be a mother and she knows that she has to be strong. She recalls the pistol in her pocket to herself. She had previously shot Campbell and had no fear of doing so again. Campbell takes a hold of Grace 's arm, pushing it aside, so that nothing else remains between them. Campbell had not thought this far ahead. He had hoped Grace would be at Epsom today, but he never knew for sure. Now that she was standing in front of him, her hands in a fist, he knows what he has to do. He can’t let Tommy or Grace be happy. 

“Major Campbell.” A voice from behind Campbell chides. Before he can turn to see who has called him and interrupted his conversation with Grace, he hears the click of heels against the floorboards.

When Grace looks over Campbell’s shoulder and makes eye contact with the person, she smiles. This alarms Campbell, scared to know who has caught him as he harasses Grace. When he turns to meet the perpetrator, he finds himself chuckling. Polly Gray stands there in all her glory, clutching onto her purse. Campbell watches, bemused, as Polly walks forward and stands only a few feet away from him. Graces sighs a breath of relief, almost in shock. Out of all the people here today, Polly was the last person she thought she would see. She had thought Polly still hated her but here the woman was, saving Grace. 

“I’m sure you and I could work this out.” Polly smirks, looking over his shoulder to Grace. “Run along.”

For a moment Grace does not move. She wonders what Polly is planning to do with Campbell. She wasn’t even aware that they knew each other. She wants to argue with Polly and tell her it’s too dangerous for her to be left alone with this man but she refrains from doing so. The look in Polly’s eyes is deadly and, for the first time, it is not directed at Grace. She catches on quickly after she understands what the look in Polly’s eyes mean. Instead of arguing, she nods to Polly and then looks to Campbell, who is already too distracted by ogling Polly to notice Grace leaving. Grace barely allows herself to breathe until she exits the tent, already realizing what is about to happen to Campbell. Just before the stairs that lead to the balcony, Grace stops and tries to catch her breath. Too many unpleasant memories have resurfaced today and she is having a hard time controlling her racing mind. Finally, Grace looks up the stairs. She knows where Tommy is and what he has planned. She understands she can’t let him do this alone, whether she is pregnant or not. Grace is a spy. She is an asset and Tommy needs her help, whether he admits it or not.

Tommy sits with Lizzie only a few metres away forging a plot to execute the Marshal. Tommy is well conscious Lizzie will be offended by his scheme. Above all, he told her that she would be able to remove all her clients above she began working with him. Instead, he needed her to do the same thing that he promised her she never should have to do again. He expected her to call him every name in the book, cursing his very soul. He deserved it after all. He was betraying Lizzie. But this was the only way to get the Marshal alone. So, Tommy used Lizzie’s love for him against her. It was cruel but Tommy promised himself that he would spend the rest of his life making it up to Lizzie.

He was also aware of the fact that Grace would not approve of this plan. It was one of the reasons he did not disclose the entire plan to her; he knew she would be sick to her stomach to know he is betraying Lizzie’s trust. Grace saw him in an iridescent light. She saw him as a good, clever man who tried to do the right thing. Asking Lizzie for this favour was not the right thing to do and Tommy knew it. He wanted the circumstances to be different. He wished they were. But the reality was that they were not and if Grace were to find out of this plan involving Lizzie, he would have to take responsibility.

“Oh Tommy, I never thought I'd see the like of this.” Lizzie gushed as her eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail.

Tommy nodded in agreement. He had to admit, the lounge was beautifully decorated. With white lace cloth and yellow flowers adorning every table, Tommy was inclined to recognize the tasteful ornaments in the room. As Tommy took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes followed Lizzie’s gaze to the middle of the room where a marble fountain stood. It was molded in the shape of horses and birds, along with many more woodland creatures. All of the animals looked cheerful as water poured out of their mouths. Tommy had to remind himself why he was here or else he too would be distracted as Lizzie was. He shook his head, walking past Lizzie and to a waiter who was holding a tray of glasses filled with whiskey. He took two glasses and thanked the waiter before turning back to Lizzie, still refusing to speak.

“But I do know that I'm here to work, so you may have noticed I haven't taken a drink.” Lizzie continued to speak, even as Tommy’s back was to her. Lizzie learned a long time ago that just because Tommy was not looking at you, didn’t mean he wasn’t listening. 

Tommy turned back to Lizzie, the glasses in his hands visible to her now. “Well here take this,” he finally spoke, handing Lizzie a glass. “You might need it.”

Lizzie looked at Tommy, puzzled. He motioned for her to sit and she obeyed his command, too confused to object. As he sat across from her, he refused to make eye contact. He had yet to tell Lizzie why she was truly here because he knew she would have never come if she knew his true intentions. 

Lizzie sighed, not yet indulging in the whiskey in front of her. “What's the work you want me to do here today, Tommy? Is it taking notes in a meeting?” 

Tommy still refused to look at her and instead lit another cigarette. “No, Lizzie. You're not here to take notes.”

An alarm went off in Lizzie’s mind. Bitterly, she said, “My shorthand won’t be required.”

Tommy blew the smoke out from between his lips, his heart dropping. Lizzie had already caught onto his plan before he even had time to explain it to her. “Lizzie…” Tommy sighs before continuing. “There’s a man here…”

“He needs to be separated from the crowd.” A voice from behind Tommy finishes, startling both Lizzie and Tommy. 

Tommy recognizes the voice immediately and his blood turns cold. Tommy stands from his seat and turns to face the woman who continues to disobey him. He’s not surprised when he sees Grace, this time with a frown on her face. Before he can speak, she grabs a chair from the table beside them and sits herself down beside Lizzie and away from Tommy. Tommy now knows she’s upset with him too. Grace was never aware of this part of the plan and he knew she would be outraged at the idea of using Lizzie as a pawn. Unfortunately, now Tommy had to deal with two irritated women. 

In an effort to save what dignity he has left, he directs his attention fully to Grace, sitting back down to meet her gaze. “Grace, I told you to stand down.”

“And I told you,” Grace bitterly grumbles, her eyes shooting daggers at Tommy. “To trust me and tell me the entire plan.”

Tommy rolls his eyes, taking a drag of his cigarette. “I knew if I divulged in this part of the plan, you would raise hell.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “Well, I had an insightful discussion with Campbell downstairs,” Grace started, this comment already raising Tommy’s brows. “And now I’ve decided that I’m helping Lizzie.” 

Tommy’s eyes widen, glancing at Lizzie who seems to be enjoying Grace’s defiance. “Absolutely not.”

Grace ignores Tommy, turning to Lizzie. “As long as Lizzie agrees to do it with me.”

Lizzie smiles at Grace, finally taking a sip of her whiskey. “He told me I wouldn’t do that kind of work any more.”

Tommy watches as the women interact, almost convinced that Grace will be able to get Lizzie to help them. Tommy takes a final drag of his cigarette, shaking his head in disbelief. Maybe he needed Grace after all. 

“We just need you to isolate him, is all.” Grace promises, grabbing onto Lizzie’s hand to comfort her. “And I’ll be with you the entire time.”

Lizzie looks away from Grace for a moment and at Tommy. He can see the melancholy in her eyes. “No exceptions, you said.”

Tommy remains emotionless as he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a map, placing it close to Lizzie. “I've drawn a map, all right, of where exactly you need to take him.”

Lizzie stares down Tommy, the anger in her eyes now evident. Grace continues to hold onto Lizzie’s hand, trying to comfort her. “For months I made no exceptions because you told me not to.”

Tommy leans forward, his voice just above a whisper. “Lizzie, just keep him busy. I have the place marked with an "X" and I'll get to you before it can start, I promise. All right?”

“Lizzie,” Grace calls, trying to get the woman’s attention. Lizzie looks at Grace, the lump in his throat expanding. “this is the only time. After this, never again.”

Trying to ease the tension in this situation, Tommy speaks up. “I’ll pay you an extra five -”

“Do not talk to me about money now.” Lizzie bitterly spits back, cutting Tommy off. Grace glares at Tommy, not understanding how insensitive he is being. She knows he is under a lot of stress but Lizzie is not going to work with them if they are impatient. Grace wondered for a moment how many women Tommy had business dealings with. It could not be more than a dozen because he had not yet learned how to speak to an irritated woman. “Not right now, I swear I'll break this glass in your eyes.”

Grace tugs on Lizzie’s hand, trying to get her to focus on her instead of Tommy. “Lizzie, I’ll be with you. I swear, nothing will happen.”

Lizzie sighs, holding back tears so that her makeup won’t smudge. She shuts her eyes for a moment, trying to steady her breathing. She was promised she’d never have to go through any prostitution again. That life was living hell for her. She opened her eyes and looked to Grace, her face now calm. “Who is he?”

Grace looked to Tommy and watched as he let out a sigh of relief. Tommy nods in the direction of the Marshal. “To your right. Soldier. Smoking a cigarette. Just be alone with him at 3:00. When the race starts, and I'll do the rest. Yeah?” Grace and Lizzie crane their heads and turn around. Their eyes gaze at the Marshal, who is smoking a cigarette and completely unaware of what they are planning for him not even five feet away.

Grace and Lizzie turn back around to face Tommy, both of the women frowning. Grace watches as Tommy takes the last swig of his whiskey, their eyes only meeting for a moment. Lizzie speaks first. “Got a piece of chalk?”

Tommy frowns, his brows pulled together in confusion. “Chalk?”

Lizzie nods, clearly very furious. “It's how the soldiers know. It doesn't matter, just give me the fucking chalk.”

Tommy fishes in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a small piece of chalk and places it in front of Lizzie. She doesn’t look at him as he places it in front of her but it does not matter because Tommy is not looking at her. He is looking at Grace. At first, Grace does not catch his gaze but soon she feels his intense gaze and can’t help but look up at him. Even though they say nothing to each other, Grace already knows that he is trying to tell her to stay safe. They make eye contact for only a moment before Tommy looks back to Lizzie and speaks.

“Lizzie, it's gonna be all right. Eh? I'll get to you, I promise. Before it can start. I will be there.” Tommy promises, finally standing up. 

Lizzie says nothing to him but Grace does. She stands up with Tommy and walks forward, finally reaching out to touch his face. “You promise?”

Tommy sighs, reaching up to touch the hand Grace has on his face. “Maybe you shouldn’t...”

Grace smiles, watching as Tommy decides against finishing that sentence. He knows she will never stand down. He knows that she is just like him. Grace thirsts for adventure and wants to make sure Lizzie feels safe. Just like Tommy, Grace is not about to let her health stand in the way of a new escapade.

“I’ll be fine. Just promise me you’ll be there before anything happens.” Grace looks to Lizzie for a moment before looking back to Tommy.

Worry is etched all over his face. “I promise.”

And with that Tommy is gone, leaving Grace and Lizzie to their own devices.

“That bugger.” Lizzie mumbles to herself as she watches Grace from the corner of her eye. She watches as the blonde sits back down beside her, her breath heavier now. Lizzie writes something on the bottom of her shoe before putting it back on and turning to Grace. “You don’t have to come along.”

Grace shook her head, indignant. “No, I do.” She sat back down beside Lizzie and watched as she got the Marshal’s attention.

Albeit Grace had never acquired a man’s attention this way, Lizzie promised her that this was one of the least challenging ways to do so. Soldiers infrequently asked questions, all of the carnal emotions having built up when they were away from war. Lizzie jested it was more facile to get a soldier in bed than it was any other type of man. Now, as Grace watched the Marshal read the bottom of Lizzie’s foot with a tempting look in his eyes, Grace knew what Lizzie had verbally expressed was true.

“Wave at him.” Lizzie whispered, not bothering to look at Grace and keeping her eyes trained on the Marshal.

Grace endeavoured her best as she flirtatiously waved at the Marshal, his eyes moving from Lizzie to Grace. He seemed to be more exhilarated the longer he visually examined both of the women. Conclusively, he got up from his seat and moved across the room. Grace thought he was making his way towards them but instead, he walked in the opposite direction and towards the lavatory. Grace looked to Lizzie, quite confounded, afore she realized what was going on. He wanted to meet them both in a secluded place. He thought the both of them were promiscuous females and didn’t want to be visually perceived in public with them. Ostensibly, the men’s lavatory was the most isolated place he could think of.

“We’re following him in. You still have time to leave Grace. You’re not a whore.” Lizzie sympathized, standing up from her seat beside Grace.

Grace shook her head, standing up as well and looking to the door of the lavatory. “Neither are you.”

So, the girls, together, made their way to the lavatory. They did not talk when they did. Grace declined because she had been scared and had never seduced a man to his death before, and Lizzie because she was still healing from how much Tommy had hurt her. She's been surprisingly grateful to have Grace with her. Without Grace she knew she would be much more scared. When this thought crossed her mind, she couldn’t help but realize how absurd their relationship was. Here she was, working with the woman that had Tommy’s heart while she was still in love with the man. She was either foolish to believe Grace was actually fond of her, or Grace was a better person than she allowed herself to initially believe. Either way, she was glad they were friends. 

When they reached the lavatory, they were awaited by the Marshal. His back leaned against the wall, his mouth lined with a sly smirk. He sat up straight when he saw them approach, and quickly called for Lizzie. She forced a smirk and let him reach her. His touches were clearly carnal and disrespectful; his hands immediately stroking her breasts while he placed soft kisses on her neck. He reached behind her as he hugged Lizzie, then attempted to grab Grace but Lizzie blocked him. Grace had no trouble playing this part and trying to stop the Marshal from approaching Lizzie but Lizzie appeared to have the same idea.

"She likes to watch." Lizzie said, giving Grace a look, between kisses. Grace knew what she was trying to do. Lizzie could be less worried with what happened to herself, as long as Grace did not get hurt. Grace wasn't going to let anything happen to Lizzie so, instead of respecting Lizzie’s instructions, she reached out for the Marshal.

“Come here.” The Marshal growled at Grace and pushed Lizzie aside to kiss Grace. 

Lizzie saw the Marshal being hugged by Grace, and kissed her cheek. She could see how unhappy Grace was and that made Lizzie more furious. She knew that Tommy would disapprove of what Grace was doing, especially when he had instructed Lizzie to seduce the Marshal instead. Knowing this, Lizzie rashly made a decision, dragging Grace away from the Marshal. They hadn't kissed on the mouth but Lizzie wasn't able to wait and watch as Grace got more uncomfortable as time went on. Their relationship was curious but Lizzie had begun to care for Grace and was not about to let her new friend be put in harm's way.

“Lizzie -” Grace attempted to say, only getting cut off by the loud noise of a slap. Grace had realized that she had squeezed her eyes shut in fear but when she had reopened them, she had realized Lizzie had lunged forward and slapped the Marshal. 

Grace gasped as she watched the Marshal’s head turn quickly, not expecting a prostitute to lash out. Once his face turned back to Lizzie, Grace did not have to guess the emotion written on his face for it was clear he felt outraged. His brows were pulled together and his face was taunt. It was almost as if Grace could see the smoke blowing out of his ears. 

The room was silent for a moment, almost as if no one could have believed what Lizzie had done, not even Lizzie herself. Once that moment was done, however, the Marshal reacted angrily. With a late reaction, the Marshal raised his hand over Lizzie’s head and brought it down quickly. The sound his hand made with her cheek was louder than hers had been and this time, Grace screamed as she watched Lizzie fall forward. As her stomach faced the ground, she cried out once. Not so much in pain but in shock. She only had time to cry out once because the next second, the Marshal had grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her up from the ground.

“You whore!” The Marshal yelled, throwing Lizzie forward and into one of the ceramic urinals. 

Lizzie’s forehead met the edge of the urinal with a loud bang and Grace watched, paralyzed with terror as the Marshal decided he wasn’t done with Lizzie yet. He grabbed her forearm this time and struggled to pull her up. Lizzie was feigning consciousness and she was a bit heavier now. As the Marshal struggled, Grace knew he would be distracted and took this opportunity to lunge at the Marshal with all the strength she had. Grace was not thinking of the baby growing inside of her at that moment and instead was only concerned about her friend’s well being. She breathed in calmly before raising her hand in a fist and punching the side of the Marshal’s head. 

He had been blindsided by this attack, underestimating Grace’s true power and, as a result, his head went flying to the side and pounded against the wall. He seemed incapacitated for the moment and Grace took that opportunity to go to Lizzie whose eyes were open but the bleeding from her head wound told Grace that she may not be conscious for too much longer. 

Grace pleaded for Tommy to come. As she assessed Lizzie’s state, she prayed that Tommy would appear any second to shoot the Marshal. The Marshal would be waking up any second and would be able to overpower Grace easily. She knew she couldn’t let that happen. For her sake and Lizzie’s.

“Liz…” Grace pleaded, lightly slapping her friend’s cheek to further wake her up. Lizzie hummed a response but did not speak, only adding to Grace’s anxiety. 

If Tommy was late, they would both be in serious danger. Grace couldn’t let that happen, especially now that she was pregnant. She knew what she had to do. She scanned the room for her purse, finding it in the corner of the room where she had thrown it at the beginning of the fight. There was a gun in her purse. She was not worried about her aim because she took pride in how well she handled a gun but she was worried that killing the Marshal would disrupt Tommy’s plan. Although she considered this, when she heard the Marshal grumble, finally waking up, she knew what she needed to do. Running to her bag, she turned her back to the Marshal as she ruffled through her bag and removed her gun from her purse. Just as she did, she heard a loud bang.

Her heart sank and she shrieked, quickly turning around and aiming her gun. She was on her knees but even from that angle she knew she could kill whoever. When she made eye contact with the culprit, her body instantly softened. In front of her, his hands in the air, was Tommy. Grace sighed loudly, finally lowering her gun. She dropped it, letting it hit the floor with a clang. The Marshal lay in front of her, a gunshot to the back of his head. Tommy had killed him after all.

“Grace…” Tommy kneeled to his love, watching in pain as her eyes filled with tears. 

Grace shook her head, refusing to cry. “Lizzie took a blow to her head. Make sure she’s okay.”

Tommy scanned Grace’s body, looking for any blood. “And you?” 

Grace grabbed her gun, placing it back in her bag. She stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “I’m fine. Make sure Lizzie is okay?”

Tommy nodded and turned to help Lizzie to her feet. Tommy lightly touched the wound on Lizzie’s head, asking her softly if it hurt too bad. Although there was blood pouring from her wound, Lizzie refused to cry and instead told Tommy she was fine. Grace gathered her belongings, including her emotions, and made her way back to Tommy and Lizzie. When she approached them, Lizzie stepped away from Tommy and looked to the door. Although she seemed a little woozy from the blow to her head, Grace could still see the wheels turning in her mind. Lizzie might have a concussion, but she was as sharp as ever.

“We have to leave now.” Tommy instructs, concealing his weapon under his coat. 

Grace reaches for her handkerchief and pats it against Lizzie to stop the bleeding. She’s so concerned with Lizzie’s well-being, she ignores Tommy. When she finally registers his words, she turns to him with a frown. “We need to get Lizzie to a hospital. She has a concussion.”

Tommy wants to roll his eyes at Grace’s request but is scared to see her reaction. Instead, he lets out a sharp and deep sigh and responds. “I’ll make sure John takes her. We need to leave now Grace.”

Grace looks back to Lizzie, who is giving her a small but content smile. “Go,” Lizzie holds onto the handkerchief now and swats Grace’s hand away from her face. “I’ll find John. You two still have some work to do.”

Grace turns back to Tommy, confusion flashing across her dainty features. “What does she mean?”

Tommy grabs onto Grace’s elbow, pulling her farther away from Lizzie and closer to the door. She knows that the guards assigned to protect the Marshal will be looking for him any moment and they have to leave before they’re caught with his body. Before Grace can say her last goodbye to Lizzie, Tommy has closed the door of the lavatory behind her.

“What does she mean Tommy?” Grace whispers, trying to appear nonchalant as they walk past dozens of unsuspecting people. 

Tommy walks as fast as he can without drawing any attention toward him. When they are finally far enough away from the lavatory, he answers her. “We have to meet with Sabini.”

~

Grace has only heard gruesome stories of the feared man named Sabini but never had met him. She could have gone her entire life without meeting him if it wasn’t for Tommy. She wondered how many things she would have never done if it wasn’t for Tommy. Considering today, she probably would’ve never witnessed a man shot in the head or nearly been killed. Weirdly enough, she wouldn’t have it any other way. As gruesome, and at times scary, her life was, she loved her life with Tommy. As they sat at another table in the restaurant, this time right behind the fountain as opposed to last time where they were across from it, she wondered if Tommy felt the same way. He did. He knew, although he would rather she not be in danger, this day could’ve been a lot worse if Grace had not been with Lizzie.

They both remained silent as they waited for the infamous Sabini to enter. Every time the door chimed, signalling that another customer had entered, both Grace and Tommy’s head lifted up towards the sound. They both seemed to be nervous, although they both said nothing. Tommy’s nerves seemed to be more apparent when he lit what seemed like his hundredth cigarette for the day. 

“You should really stop smoking so much.” Grace teased, forcing a small smile and nudging Tommy lightly.

Tommy did not smile back but she could see the amusement in his eyes as he blew the smoke out from his nostrils. “You sound like Pol.”

Grace scoffed, glancing to the door again before looking back at her love. “I don’t know whether I should take that as a compliment or not.”

Instead of answering, Tommy took another drag of his cigarette. His eyes never left Grace and when he exhaled, he spoke. “When Sabini comes, let me do the talking.”

Grace pouts, watching as the corners of his lips turned up in a small smile before it quickly disappeared. He never let anyone see him smile, especially in public. “I’m much more charming than you.”

Tommy shrugged, wrapping the arm that was closest to Grace around her chair. “That may be so but Sabini knows me better.”

Before Grace could answer, the door chimes again and they both look to the door. This time they don’t see a random face but the face of a man belonging to Sabini. Grace had no idea what he looked like but the way he carried himself told her right away he was the man Tommy was looking for. Sabini was a dark haired man with a mustache and dressed in a gray coloured suit. There was a large red flower on the lapel of his suit and Grace wondered it’s significance. He walked in long strides with his head up. A man who dressed and looked similar to him walked behind him but instead, this man had his head down. Before they could even sit down, Tommy took the liberty to speak first. 

“Mr Sabini, you're late. Have a seat.” He pointed to the chairs in front of both him and Grace with his free hand. When they finally sat in their chair, Tommy looked to the man beside Sabini and knitted his brows together as if he was concerned. “What happened to your nose?”

Grace leaned forward a bit and saw right away the large cut on the bridge of the man’s nose. She knew where it had come from and so had Tommy but Tommy loved to tease the men that worked for Sabini. Especially when he already knew the answer to his question. If Tommy was anything, he was smug. There was no doubt in Grace’s mind either Arthur or John had given that man a nice beating. Grace could care less about the man’s well-being considering he worked for Sabini.

“You want to have that brother of yours put down.” The man spat, his eyes narrow. 

Grace wanted to laugh but instead she kept quiet and let Tommy speak. “Oh, I tried that. He bit the vet.”

Before the man could rebuttal, Sabini spoke over him. Grace knew he was a man of business and knew that everything Tommy was doing now was to waste time. “I've told the coppers that you're a fucking gypsy racketeer Peaky Blinder. They're coming. They're gonna throw you out. Before the King comes up here.”

Tommy nods, unamused. He seems to remain calm and so Grace does as well. “Well, from what I saw the police are a bit busy right now.” He takes a short drag from his cigarette before continuing. “Did you win any money today, Mr Sabini?”

Sabini refuses to answer Tommy’s question, knowing there’s a double meaning to it. Instead, he ignores it completely and leans closer to the man on his right. “Where are the coppers? Said to that sergeant, "one minute", he said, "two", it's fucking ten!”

“Like he said, Mr Sabini,” Grace finally speaks, her voice strong and clear. She can feel Tommy tense from beside her but she refuses to look at him. “they're a bit busy. Same as his boys.”

Sabini glances to Grace for a moment, a glint of anger in his eyes. Instead of reacting physically, he rubs his nose in frustration. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“What does that mean?” Tommy smirks, repeating Sabini’s question. Before answering, he takes a drag of his cigarette, tapping the ash out on the edge of the tray. “Well, my boys are on the track. They're having a little bonfire. Gaming licences, you know.”

Sabini looks down at his lap and begins to swear under his breath. “Fuck.”

Tommy smirks, only speaking when Sabini looks back at him. “You place too much reliance on the police for your security, Mr Sabini. That was a mistake.”

Sabini nods his head as Tommy speaks and only when he finishes, does he get up from his seat. At first, Grace thinks he might be walking away but when he reaches inside the side of his coat, Grace feels her body tense. Her hands fish inside her purse and she quickly clasps onto her gun and the trigger. She knows that shooting Sabini right now may not be the best way to kill a man, especially with so many witnesses, but she would do anything to protect Tommy and her baby.

Before she can pull the gun out of her purse, Tommy removes his arm from her chair and places his hands over her purse. She’s confused as to why he is doing it at first but when he speaks again, she understands why. “You're gonna now think about who you are, think about where you are. You pull a weapon, you are the King's assassin. Besides, my girl never misses.”

Grace watches as Sabini clenches his jaw before slowly removing his hand from inside his coat and sitting back down. Finally, Sabini makes eye contact with Grace and she watches as he smirks at her. She makes an effort to not break eye contact and show no fear as Sabini watches her hand relax and finally pulls her hand away from her gun. Although her hand is no longer on her gun, she keeps her purse on her lap just in case. Tommy lances their hands together and she finally feels how cold his hands are. Although he is not showing it, she can tell he is a bit scared.

“Now your next mistake, Mr Sabini,” Tommy continues, taking a small drag of his cigarette. “was breaking your promise with Alfie Solomons. Hmm. You promised Alfie that his bookies could come to Epsom. He was very hurt when you said no. He was very hurt. That's why me and Alfie are back in business.”

It doesn’t take a genius to figure how angry Sabini is. His jaw is set and he is no longer able to hold Tommy’s eye contact. Slowly, he gets up from his seat along with the man beside him and they turn their backs to Grace and Tommy. Grace thinks he might just walk away without a fight but she is quickly proven wrong when he swiftly reaches for the bottle of champagne from the table behind him. He smashes the glass against his chair and suddenly, the restaurant is filled with screams. Tommy thinks fast and pulls Grace up from her seat, standing in front of her so she does not get hurt. Grace’s blood is cold as she watches Sabini swing the broken glass closer to Tommy’s stomach. Tommy is faster than Sabini anticipated and dodges his attack. Grace’s hand is back on her gun and although she doesn’t want to use it, if Sabini swings at Tommy again she knows she has to. Before she can make that decision, two coppers enter the restaurant. Tommy’s hands are in the air and Grace mimics him, confused as to what is about to happen. 

“It’s alright!” Tommy smirks, pointing to Sabini. “He’s just a bad loser.”

Grace feels the pit of her stomach churn as she realizes what is going on before Tommy. Tommy is acting nonchalant, as if they’re here because of Sabini. Only when they pass him completely, does Tommy realize they are not here for Sabini at all. They reach for both of Tommy’s arms and Grace is powerless as they try to pull him out of the restaurant. 

“What the fuck!” Tommy yells, struggling against their grip. 

Grace follows after Tommy, yelling obscenities at the coppers as they handle the wrong man. Suddenly, it dawns on her that maybe they have the right man after all. After all, he did kill the Marshal but how could they have figured that out so easily? As Tommy is dragged out of the restaurant, he yells for Grace and her heart breaks. She doesn’t know what is going on exactly but she has to find out. Before she can leave the restaurant fully, she looks back at Sabini one last time.

“You fucking lose, you fucking gypsy bastard!” 

Sabini’s harsh words anger Grace and, without hesitating, she pulls her pistol out from her purse and aims it at Sabini. The restaurant is in too much of a frenzy to realize what Grace is doing but Sabini reacts fearfully as he feels the cold steel of the barrel against his cheek. 

“If you ever come near me or Tommy again, I promise you, I won’t miss.” Grace lowers her gun and stuffs it backs into her purse. 

As she turns around and marches towards the exit of the restaurant, she finally lets herself show some emotion. She can feel the tears in her eyes threatening to spill and her head begins to hurt as her brows knit together in worry. Once she exits the restaurant, she scans the Derby. She knows she could spot the coppers easily, being as most of the coppers are at the spot where the Marshal was killed. Finally, she spots a large truck in the middle of a crowd and watches as the same two coppers try to force Tommy into the car. When Grace examines the car, her stomach drops. These men are not coppers, although they are dressed as such. The car they are forcing Tommy in is not a vehicle issued to law enforcement; something only someone who had worked for the Crown would know.

“Tommy!” Grace calls for him as she watches him continue to struggle.

When he hears her voice, he stops struggling. He knows his struggle will only make it worse for Grace and he can only hope that she will not be arrested with him. He watches as she runs to the car, demanding to know why he has been arrested. He almost wants to laugh at how rude she is being to the coppers, having been one herself only a few years ago.

“I demand to know why he is being arrested!” Grace asks, grabbing onto one of the coppers shoulders.

The copper shrugs her hand off, stopping their assault on Tommy only for a moment to speak to Grace. “Ma’am, this man is a suspect in the killing of an officer of the Crown.”

Grace shakes her head. “He’s been with me all day.” 

Although grateful, Tommy knows who these men are and what they want. His mind wanders to Campbell and how he promised to kill Tommy no matter what. This was just another way of fulfilling his plan. Although Tommy is scared to know his future, he does not want Grace wrapped up in what could be an execution. He needs to protect her, even if it’s the last thing he does.

“Grace,” Tommy says, watching as her watery eyes make contact with his. “I’ll meet you at the Garrison.”

Grace shakes her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. “But Tom -”

“Grace,” Tommy repeats calmly. “Don’t worry. Find Arthur.”

Grace knows she will not get anywhere and she knows why. Tommy is trying to protect her from whoever these men are and although she adores him for it, she can’t just let him get into this car. She needs him to know how she feels one last time. “Tom, I -”

Tommy nods, cutting Grace off. “I know. I do too.”

Grace forces a smile and she watches as Tommy looks away from her and climbs up the step of the truck and begrudgingly enters. Grace stands in awe, watching as the coppers nod to Grace once before getting into the front seats and driving off with her love in the back. Grace doesn’t know whether she’ll see Tommy again and a hole forms in her heart and she replays the past events of the day. She stands still, watching as the truck moves farther and farther away from her until it turns a corner and she is finally alone. Only when the crowd finally dissipates does she let herself cry.

~

Tommy had no idea where he was headed. For the last ten minutes, he has been listening to the loud clang of metal against metal and of the tires moving against the pavement. He tries to focus on the blood from his wound on his head but something distracts him. It’s light. It’s dark where he is and only a little shines through a small window of the car. The light that spills through and illuminates one of the coppers faces reminds him of heaven. Tommy almost wants to believe he’s being taken to heaven but he knows that to not be true. Wherever he’s being taken, there won’t be any light. 

The light makes him think of Grace and he feels his stomach churn at the thought of her standing in the middle of a busy crowd, watching as he is taken away in a truck. He had all these plans for the both of them and now…

The truck comes to a stop and the loud noises cease. The copper watching him finally stands up and knocks three times on the back doors of the truck. Seconds later, a dark haired man opens the door, a pistol in his right hand. Tommy’s face, once relaxed, now turns into a deep frown as he is the first one to exit the car. Finally, he takes in all of his surroundings. 

He was right. The two coppers were not coppers at all but instead, men dressed as ones. He had to give Campbell credit, he had been clever. Apart from the two ‘coppers’, was another man in brown slacks and a white shirt tucked into his pants. He seemed older, maybe in his forties. Although he seemed harmless enough, the pistol in his hand made him look more vicious than he was.

Tommy looked beyond the men that were now gathered around him, trying to prevent him from escaping. He was in a field. The dirt was soft and a deep brown, telling him that it had been recently plowed. What caught Tommy’s eye the most was the large hole dug about ten feet from him. Beside the hole, lay a mountain of dirt with a shovel leaning against it. Tommy didn’t have to guess what this hole was for. He was going to die and they were going to bury his body in that hole. Tommy took a deep breath, exasperated. This was the end and he had not nearly gotten what he wanted. 

The two coppers stand in the hole for a moment, cleaning it up a bit before Tommy’s body is laid to rest. The man with the pistol stands behind him and although Tommy knows looking at him will only instill more fear, he does it anyway. He’s right. The man watches as Tommy gazes at him and the man lifts the pistol higher against his chest; almost trying to further rub it in Tommy’s face that he is about to die. 

The coppers finally get out of the hole and stand on either side of it, a solemn look on both their faces. The one of the right takes off his coat, not only looking like a half dressed copper. He lays the coat on the floor but folds it before it touches the ground. Tommy knows what this means and he can’t quiet his curiosity. 

“Any of you boys in France?” He asks, staring at the hole. The copper on the right looks at him in a way that Tommy understands and instead, changes the subject. “You know, I wouldn't mind a cigarette.”

Tommy thought no one would speak and was surprised when the same copper who had taken off his coat, was the first one to speak. “The Somme. Black Woods.”

Tommy nodded, understanding right away he had answered his first question. “Somme, the Bulls.”

The copper nodded, looking to his friend and nodding to him. “Smoke.” The copper on the left had taken his coat off during some point in his conversation with the other copper and now fished through his coat pocket on the floor to find a smoke. 

Tommy shook his head and grabbed a cigarette in his pocket, signalling he had one himself. Tommy had done this foolishly because he soon realized that the copper was looking through his coat on the floor to find his gun, not get him a cigarette. Tommy sighed, embarrassed, and lit his cigarette without speaking.

As he took the first drag of his cigarette, Grace entered his mind again and he began to shake his head in disbelief. “So fucking close.” He continued to shake his head, disappointed. He had come so far and yet, here he was about to die. “So fucking close.” He repeated, taking a long drag of his cigarette. 

He feels so many things at once it becomes overwhelming. He wonders where Grace is and when he thinks of her waiting at the Garrison alone, he feels his eyes water. In an effort to conceal his tears, he turns away from the two ‘coppers’ and instead looks up to the sky as he smokes. He has never felt so overwhelmed before and, as a man who is skilled in hiding his emotions, he finds himself unable to stop himself from concealing his grief. 

“Oh…” He sighs, blowing the smoke out from between his lips. “And there's a woman.” As he lets out another gust of smoke from between his lips, he closes his eyes and tries to regain his composure as he speaks of Grace. “Yeah. A woman who I love and I got close.” 

Once he knows he won’t cry, he opens his eyes and stares in disgust at the sky. After the war, he resented religion and he thought that God felt indifferent towards him. He pondered now whether or not God would allow him in his kingdom, if there was a God. The thought of his death before he got to live his life with Grace seems so unfair to Tommy. He didn’t deserve much since he lived such a violent life but he knew he deserved Grace. She was good for him. She loved him. He deserved that at the very least. And now, it was being taken away.

Anger stirs from within Tommy and when his eyes focus on the sky, he yells. “Nearly got fucking everything!” 

After he yells, he can hear one of the coppers toying with his gun behind him and he closes his eyes for a moment, knowing they are not about to wait any longer. Death has come to him faster than he wanted. With a defeated look on his face, he reopens his eyes and tosses away his cigarette. With a deep sigh, he turns around and faces the men who are ready to kill him. With two shaky steps, he moves in front of the grave they have dug for him and he forces himself to stay calm. Everything has finally set in and the natural fear of death every human being has is taking control of his body. He’s shaking violently but Tommy conceals it by walking very slowly. When he stands beside the grave, he begins to remove all of his accessories. First, his watch has to go. He removes it from his coat and throws it in the ditch, along with his lighter and pack of cigarettes.

The man from behind him approaches Tommy, gun in hand. “Comrade, we have our orders. You know how it is.”

Tommy can’t seem to control himself anymore and only half-heartedly nods. His breath is laboured and his hands are shaky so violently that one of the coppers notices. “I know how it is.” He confirms, looking up to the copper in front of him before looking back to the ground. He’s so scared he doesn’t seem to feel the pain from his head wound anymore. 

The man behind him grabs onto his shoulder and pushes him to his knees. Tommy almost wants to thank him because his legs would’ve given out at any moment. Tommy lets his heart beat pound against his chest, no longer worried about showing fear. He closes his eyes and thinks of Grace. When he first saw her, he was sure she was an angel and not a barmaid. He thinks of her smile and the twinkle in her eyes whenever she says something cheeky. He remembers the feeling of her hair between his fingers and wonders whether his child will wonder what Tommy is like. He hopes Grace only tells his son the good stories. 

“In the bleak midwinter.” Tommy mumbles, his eyes shut tight. He is ready to die.

Instead of hearing a gunshot, something entirely different happens. The man behind him shoves him into the ditch with his boot and then two gunshots are heard. Tommy, in a frightened panic, covers his face in fear as he lays in the ditch. The gunfire pierces the air so much so that there is an echo long after it is gone. Finally, when it is quiet again, Tommy brings his face out of his hands and looks up from his place in the ditch. The man with the brown slacks is smirking down at him, still pointing a pistol in his direction. Tommy is beyond confused when he sees the two bodies of the coppers laying beside the ditch, a bullet in both of their heads. 

“At some point in the near future, Mr Churchill will want to speak to you in person, Mr Shelby. He has a job for you. We will be in touch. Get out of the grave, tinker.” The man shoes Tommy away with his gun but Tommy lays there in shock. He can’t believe what has happened. When he doesn’t move, the man grows inpatient and yells. “Be on your fucking way!”

Tommy stumbles out of the grave, his mind not being able to process the fact that he is still alive. He fumbles with himself as he gets to his feet and watches the man for a moment and he pushes the coppers into the ditch. When the initial shock wears off, Tommy’s eyes widen and he takes off running. His legs are weak still and he has been terrified beyond belief. He only makes it a few yards away before he falls over. His body hits the dirt with a thud but Tommy doesn’t register the pain because he is still terrified. He just narrowly escaped death. 

This realization scares Tommy. He can’t seem to get up from his place on the floor and whenever he tries to do so, his legs give out. In a fit of anger, his fists pound the dirt and he yells, tears stinging his eyes. “Fuck!”

He finally allows himself to get up from the floor and when he does, he feels his tears, hot from his anger, cascade down his face. He can’t remember the last time he has cried during the day. This moment has forever changed him and he’s not the same person he was only hours ago. He almost shook death’s hand and now, he was making his way back to Grace. Nothing was permanent in life, not even happiness, and Tommy now fully understood that.

~

It had officially been two hours and Grace was beyond worried. Arthur had tried to calm her down several times but it was no use. The last time she had seen Tommy was when he was getting in the back of a truck and driving off with two coppers. Now, he hadn’t made his way back to her like he had promised. Gruesome scenarios flashed through her mind. Tommy was being tortured by Campbell, or maybe he was dead. All of these possibilities scared Grace to no end and she promised herself if she didn’t see Tommy in the next twenty minutes, she would go out looking for him herself. 

Everyone else at the Garrison was celebrating their victory over Sabini. Arthur and John were getting piss drunk and snorting Snow while Esme laughed along to something Polly was saying. Everyone was in high spirits except Grace. It wasn’t like she could vent her worries to anyone at the Garrison because no one except Grace and Tommy truly knew what was going on. All she could do was wait and pray nothing bad had happened to her love.

“I’m getting depressed just looking at ya.” A voice from behind Grace said. 

Grace had been sitting in a booth with her back turned to the crowd of people. No one had approached her since Arthur brought a glass of bourbon to her table hours ago but the glass remained full in front of her. Now, someone else was here to bother her. With a frown on her face, she looked to her side. It was Lizzie. Grace’s face instantly perked up. Lizzie technically knew what was going on. John had taken her to the hospital shortly after and she said most of what happened to her was a blur but Grace was still happy to see that she was beside her. Lizzie had a way of cheering Grace up and she hoped that this was one of those times.

“Hi.” Grace said softly, trying to mask her worry. “Please sit.” Grace scooted farther down the booth and watched as Lizzie obliged and sat beside her new friend.

“I know who you’re worried about and you shouldn’t be.” Lizzie said, glancing at the glass full of bourbon and then looking back at Grace.

Grace forced a small smile as not to worry Lizzie but she knew Lizzie could see right through it. “I can’t help it.”

Lizzie pointed to the glass of bourbon on the table, wondering if Grace was going to have it. With her baby in mind, she shook her head and let Lizzie drink it. When she had, she finally spoke. “He’s probably on his way back now. The way I see it, no matter in worrying about something you have no control over.”

Grace smiled and this time it was not forced. Lizzie was right. She would only make herself sick if she worried about every little thing, especially the things she could not control. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing mind. Tommy would be here soon enough, like he promised. Tommy rarely broke his promises. 

As soon as Grace felt her heart beat slow down, the crowd behind them got louder. Grace was too focused to turn around and see what had caused them to be so loud again but Lizzie had. When her eyes landed on the cause of the noise, her lips turned up into a mischievous grin. She turned back to Grace, placing her hand on Grace’s shoulder. Grace looked at Lizzie, a bit confused as to why she had been grinning so oddly, but her question was soon answered as Lizzie spoke.

“Told you he was fine.”

Grace’s spirits rose and a genuine sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her head whipped around to the crowd but she couldn't see him. She supposed Tommy must be in the middle of the crowd but that did not deter her. With all the energy she had within herself, she rose to her feet and moved out of the booth and towards the crowd. Everyone was rowdy as ever; even more so now that Tommy was back. Even as she approached the huge crowd of drunk men and women, she still couldn’t see Tommy. Remembering her manners, Grace excused her past man people and farther into the middle of the crowd. She saw many people doing odd things as she passed them. She saw a woman challenge John to a drinking game, seeing who could chug the most amount of liquor. She saw Arthur snort another line of Snow while Polly watched in disbelief. She even saw the woman who was conversing with John fall to the floor after Esme pulled on her braids. There were many more sights to see but Grace did not worry herself over their rambunctious behaviour. She was looking for Tommy. FInally, as she approached the middle of the crowd, she saw those familiar icy blue eyes. They were watching her but she had not known for how long. Suddenly, the room went quiet. In reality it had not but to Grace and Tommy, when they made eye contact, the room was empty except for them. 

With a cry of relief, Grace reached out for Tommy and wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him. He was here. He was safe. Grace promised she would never let him go. They hugged for what seemed like forever and Grace almost believed they would be hugging forever. Unfortunately, Tommy was the first to let go. Although his lips were void of any real smile, she saw the softness in his eyes telling her that he was so glad to see Grace again. Tommy had a brush with death and although he wanted to tell Grace all about what the man said to him and what it could mean, he knew it had to wait. He needed to make an announcement.

As the crowd continued to get louder, Tommy cupped Grace's face and reached down to kiss her forehead. When he pulled away, she finally saw the wound on his head. It had stopped bleeding but it would take a while to heal.

“Your head.” Grace commented, lightly touching the ends of the wound.

Tommy shrugged, a playful look over his face. “Ah, it’s nothing.” He let go of Grace for a moment and climbed on top of one of the stools near the bar. As soon as he did, his hand reached down for Grace’s and she took it gladly. Grace followed after Tommy and stood on the stool beside him. When they were both standing tall, looking down at everyone else, Tommy spoke. “Oi!” His voice boomed over everyone else and soon, the entire Garrison was quiet. “Ladies and gentleman, I’d like to raise a toast.” The entire crowd cheered.

Grace looked to the back of the Garrison where she knew Lizzie was. Lizzie was now upright, leaning against one of the chairs. Another glass of liquor was in her hands and she raised it high, a smile on her face as she made eye contact with Grace. Grace smiled back, her eyes watering. She was so overwhelmed. Days ago, she was hated by most people in the room and now, she had a new friend and Polly hated her much less. So much had changed yet, there was still more changing for her to do.

“To the Small Heath Rifles!” Tommy yelled. The crowd echoed his words, raising their glasses high. “To the Lane Boys!” Tommy yelled again and still, the crowd yelled back the same words. Finally, with a small grin on his face, he looked to Arthur in the crowd and yelled louder than the last two times. “And to the Peaky fucking Blinders!”

The crowd cheered and so did Grace. Although her hands were still intertwined with Tommy’s, she looked to each person in the crowd and cheered with him. She could tell that Tommy was not done yet, still on a roll. Although she was worried for him, she let him enjoy this moment with his friends. She promised that they would discuss what happened when they had separated later on. She wanted Tommy to enjoy this night first.

“I've got some ideas. For the future of the company.” Tommy yelled his eyes slowly turning from the crowd to Grace. When they made eye contact, she suddenly understood why he had wanted her standing on the stool with him. “But first,” He said, a little lower. “I want to get married.”

The crowd cheered louder than Grace had ever heard them. Grace’s free hand moved from her side to her mouth as she hid her gasp. Without hesitating, Grace nodded and reached out to hug Tommy. 

“Of course Tommy.” Grace whispered in his ear as they embraced. 

They had won. Grace knew that nothing was guaranteed, not even their winnings now but she didn't care. They had won and for now, that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry this took so long to write. for many days, i had little inspiration but now it's done! i'm thinking of adding another chapter to show what it was like when they went to new york together and maybe charlie's birth but that may not be for a while. any feedback on this chapter is greatly appreciated! <3


	4. New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the events of Derby Day, Tommy and Grace try to get away from the dark city of Birmingham to a more familiar place. But instead of finding a peaceful getaway, the couple find trouble.

Grace had come to the conclusion shortly after her adventure with Tommy at the Derby that life was precious. This was not an incipient conception but it was more paramount than ever and made her reevaluate many of the things that were important to her than before. Things such as money and the gregarious hierarchy of Birmingham no longer mattered. What mattered was that Tommy was safe. And Grace would do anything to ascertain he was never in harm's way again.

Although this was true, it was proven to be more difficult than Grace had originally anticipated. Things were not the same for a while after Derby Day. Although Tommy and Grace were engaged, they made no efforts to start planning the wedding. This proved to be difficult considering the child in her womb continued to grow into a small mound on her stomach. The more her stomach grew, the more questions Grace and Tommy were asked. Although this was a scandal in Birmingham, Grace was more concerned with Tommy’s mental state. Grace never mentioned it to her love before but she had noticed that Tommy had come back that night as a different man. Something had happened to him when the coppers had taken him away and although he only returned with a head wound, he seemed more hurt than he led on. Considering this, she thought it would be ill advised if she started planning while Tommy was still healing from psychological wounds. Besides, her divorce had not yet been finalized between her and Clive. There were too many things occupying Grace and Tommy’s mind that there was no room left for worrying over planning their wedding.

One of the worries that occupied Tommy’s mind was the expansion of his business. Something had changed inside of Tommy that day and it was not only his psyche trying to repair itself. He began to worry immensely about the future of his company and where or not he’d have enough money to provide for Grace and the baby. He became so obsessive over this idea that he moved Grace out of their small apartment in Birmingham to a large mansion on the edge of Warwickshire. It was a huge estate, spanning acres and acres of land. The Arrow House was not the cozy inn Grace had wanted it to be but she did everything in her power, with the help of the hired maids, to make this estate seem as comforting as possible. She painted the walls a beautiful green, paid artists to paint pictures of her and Tommy and hang them, and she even commissioned an artist to paint a picture of Tommy and his horse named Grace. All of this was done so that when her child came into this world, their house did not look as intimidating as it felt.

Although she tried her best, and Tommy seemed to appreciate everything she was trying to do, she could see that nothing much had changed. One evening, while Tommy was out creating havoc with the Peaky Blinders, Polly invited herself over to comfort Grace. Usually Grace spent her time with Lizzie, Polly and Arthur’s wife Linda, but recently, she had been shutting herself off. Tommy would not allow her to do any dirty business, not even hold a gun, since her stomach started showing and now she felt useless. Polly came, on behalf of the other women, to cheer her up.

“Thank you.” Polly raised her hand as Grace poured some tea in her cup.

“No, thank you for coming by.” Grace thanked, slowly sitting back in her chair opposite of Polly. Her feet began to hurt at the end of the day ever since she became pregnant and this side effect mixed with the morning sickness proved to be a deadly match.

“We all wanted to know what you were doing but it looks to me that you were redecorating.” Polly stated, looking around the parlor where she noticed the freshly painted walls and new curtains.

Grace’s eyes moved to the window, watching as the sun was setting in the east. She wondered when Tommy would be home and hoped it would be very soon. Although she wished this, she knew better. Finally, she looked back at Polly and nodded to her. “Yes, I thought it needed some light.”

Polly gave Grace a small smile. “I hope you know you’re welcome in Birmingham any time.” Although she never wanted to admit it, Grace had grown on her in the month they had reconnected. She saw her as a daughter and, having lost one herself, her heart truly ached when she saw Grace this way.

Grace nodded again, this time sipping on her own tea before speaking. “Thank you, but I haven’t had the motivation recently.”

Polly set her cup down on the table in front of her rather harshly, her lips pursed. She knew who the culprit was behind Grace’s new glum behaviour. “If it’s Tommy that you’re concerned about -”

“But it is Tommy.” Grace interrupted, forgetting about her Irish manners for a moment. “He’s been acting so strangely since the Derby. I’m not sure what I can do since he won’t speak to me about it. I think he’s worried that it will stress me too much but -”

“Child,” Polly calmly spoke, reaching over the table to grab onto Grace’s hand. Grace stopped speaking to listen to what Polly had to say. “Tommy is going to do what he wants to. No one has been able to stop that boy since he was born.”

Grace knew this to be true. When Tommy wanted something, he would do anything to get it. Tommy rarely gave up easily and never compromised. Tommy wasn’t afraid to die. He had almost died during the Great War and now, everything was just extra. If he wanted to expand Peaky Blinders, he would do it whether Grace wanted him to or not. That was one of the things she loved and hated about Tommy. But she tried to listen to Polly and step away from pressuring him to speak to her and hoped that in time, maybe he would come to her himself.

Then, two months after Derby Day, Tommy approached Grace with an idea. He wanted to go back to New York. She had left some of her remaining belongings at her home with Clive. Things such as her jewelry box and more extravagant clothes were still left in the room she shared with Clive. Grace had originally thought they would be shipped to her but Tommy promised her that this small getaway could be relaxing. She was reluctant, still unsure of how Tommy would be during their trip, but he had seemed so interested in going back to New York that she couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, Grace had thought she might be a good excuse for Tommy to stop working, even if it was only for a couple of weeks. So, she wrote a letter to Clive, telling him when they would be in New York and when they would come to pick up the remaining possessions she had.

So, with only two luggages and money in their wallets, Grace and Tommy headed towards New York. There, Grace hoped she could start to help Tommy repair what had been broken. As they boarded the boat that morning, she realized it would be more difficult than before. 

“There’s some Irish whiskey, Tom.” Grace read from the menu. 

Tommy had walked right past their barracks and instead insisted on sitting in the dining area where Grace could eat. She had to admit, although Tommy was suffering and not allowing himself to eat, he made sure she was healthy and her stomach full. When he did not answer, she looked up from the menu and across the table where Tommy was seated. He was smoking his fifth cigarette since they boarded and she knew this was a telltale sign that he was nervous. 

She tried to get his attention again. This time she reached across the table and caressed his hand. His eyes met hers and his face softened. “Hm?”

Grace smiled. “There’s Irish whiskey.”

Tommy nodded, putting his cigarette out on his ashtray. “I see.”

Grace pouted, squeezing his hand once again. “Tommy, do you want some?”

Tommy squeezed her hand right back, easing some of Grace’s nerves. “Ah, yes.”

Grace looked back to the menu, not letting go of Tommy’s hand. Finally, when she was sure she knew what to order, she looked back to Tommy. When she made eye contact with him again, she realized he hadn’t stopped looking at her. She raised her brows in confusion but he looked away again, not answering her. “Tom?”

Tommy looked back up from his lap, pulling out another cigarette with his other hand. “Hm?”

Grace rolled her eyes, standing up from her seat and grabbing the cigarette out of his hand before sitting back down. “No more.”

Tommy’s face hardened and Grace knew she had annoyed him but she could care less. He was frightening her again and even though she knew he didn't mean to, this stress was not good for the baby. She placed the cigarette in her coat pocket before her eyes landed on Tommy again. When their eyes met again, he spoke. He rarely spoke first these days so she took this as a good sign.

“What will you order?” 

Grace shook her head. “What will we order?”

Tommy frowned this time, letting go of Grace’s hand and leaning back in his car. He scratched the top of his head before speaking. “Not hungry love.”

Grace crossed her arms over her chest. “You eat like a bird Tommy. You must have something. What about eggs?”

Tommy shrugged, a small smirk evident on his lips. “You are one stubborn woman.”

Grace smiled, looking to the waiter across the room. He was serving a couple for a moment but when he turned around, his eyes inevitably travelled to Grace. When they made eye contact, she raised her hand and gestured for him to come to them next. He obliged and he started to make his way over to them. When she was sure he was on his way over to them, she looked back to Tommy for a moment, speaking just above a whisper. “Hm. Then we’re more alike than you think.”

~

Grace had lived in a large penthouse overlooking New York’s skyline when she was still with Clive. She had chosen where they were going to live before they had even gotten married. He had let her do whatever her heart desired as long as she married at the end of the day. That penthouse was one of the only things that brought her some solace during her time in New York. When Clive was gone, either to work or to the pub nearby, she would look out the window and watch as the sun disappeared behind the buildings and the colours of the sky changed from an orange to black. She would sit there for hours, drinking tea or reading, and she would feel a type of comfort she had only felt with Tommy wash over her. Then, Clive would come home and those moments were ruined forever. 

Now, as she looked at the building as these months later, she wondered what she had seen in it. It was just a regular penthouse, nothing like the one she had loved before. She knew why this building meant nothing to her now. She had Tommy. She had the only person that truly made her feel comforted. Even though he was not acting himself, he was still more loving than Clive had been in all of their courtship and marriage. 

“Shall we go in?” Tommy whispered, his elbow sticking out for her to loop her arm around.

When she did, he pulled her in tight against him and she almost fell asleep because of how warm he felt. She finally nodded, her head resting against his shoulder. “Yes.”

Grace’s old home was on the fifth floor and remembered how tiresome climbing the steps everyday was when she lived there. She remembered how out of breath she was when she finally got to the fifth floor. She had eventually gotten used to all the climbing but now, as her and Tommy slowly made their way up the stairs, she realized how long it had truly been. She was out of breath by the second flight of stairs and pleaded for Tommy to stop so she could catch her breath. She knew she shouldn’t be too hard on herself, considering she was pregnant but she still silently cursed her lousy lungs.

When they had stopped to rest, Tommy took control for the first time in a while and made sure she was healthy. He asked her if she needed water or if she wanted to wait downstairs but she only shook her head. Although she appreciated Tommy’s concern (and it even made her happy since he seemed more present now than ever), she declined his offer and instead trudged forward.

When they finally reached the fifth floor, Grace didn’t stop. Tommy had told her to slow down and maybe rest again but she was too determined to stop and rest now. Although it brought back some type of happy nostalgia as she ventured further into her old building, she also remembered all the bad memories here too and those ones outweighed any good memories. Most of the memories she still had involved Clive, which was one of the reasons she was nervous to come to New York at all. He had been served divorce papers a month ago and still, he had not returned them to her with his signature. She wondered how he was doing but quickly realized she could probably guess.

Finally, they stood in front of Clive’s door. Even after all this time, Grace’s heart still aches. It wasn’t the ache of love, like the ache she felt whenever Tommy didn’t come home after dark, but instead the ache of hurt. Clive had hurt her so badly and even after all this time, she was going to see him again. 

When Tommy realized Grace could not knock, he did instead. He had not been the greatest man to her ever since Derby Day but he promised he would make up for it in New York. If Grace needed him to be strong for her, then that was what he would do. The last thing Grace needed was protection but if that’s what she needed when facing her soon-to-be ex husband, then that’s what he would give her.

When Clive opened the door, Grace almost gasped. She had to control herself considering the circumstances but she was still horrified. Clive looked terrible. Although she wanted to be polite about the subject, that was the first thought that came to mind when she saw him again. He looked disheveled, almost homeless as he stood at the threshold of the door. He wore a wrinkled white shirt with his black slacks that looked as if they had not been washed in days. He also wore no shoes or socks as he stood barefoot and in awe at the presence of Grace and Tommy. It was clear he had not gotten her letter because he watched her as if she was a ghost. 

“Grace?” His voice was just above a whisper but the second he opened his mouth Grace could smell the whiskey off his breath. It was a stench no one could ignore.

“I’ve come to pick up the rest of my possessions.” Grace stood tall and showed no emotion as she watched the man she had once married crumble underneath her.

“I -” Clive gulped, his eyes still wide. “I thought they were being shipped to you.”

Before Grace answered, Tommy did for her. She was glad he spoke for she was at a loss for words when she saw Clive’s state. “They were, but we are here in New York for business and decided to stop by ourselves.”

Clive’s eyes instantly moved to Tommy and Grace watched as they narrowed, as if they were a weapon ready to fire. “Oh, your business.” He said in such a way Grace instantly knew what he meant. She was not surprised to know that Tommy’s dirty business dealings could be heard from Birmingham but still concerned nonetheless. What could he be doing that would earn New Yorkers to talk? She decided to save that line of questioning until later.

Tommy nodded. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.” 

When Tommy took the first step forward, through the threshold of the door, Grace did as well. She rarely followed his lead and tried to rely on her own instincts but this entire encounter seemed too much for her and she leaned on Tommy for what to do. When they finally entered the room and passed Clive, Grace gasped aloud this time. Her home, which she chose and kept clean and spotless, was now a pigsty. Dirty dishes were stacked high not only in the kitchen but also everywhere else around the house. Clothes were thrown haphazardly around the home. Some were thrown so carelessly, Grace was unsure if he had even worn them before he had thrown them on the floor. 

Tommy had never been inside her hold home and therefore was unsure of where to go. Finally, after taking in the state of a place Grace once called home, she took the first step forward this time and showed Tommy to her and Clive’s shared room when they were still together. This room, to Grace’s surprise, looked as if it had not been touched since she left. It looked immaculate compared to the rest of the rooms in the penthouse. Grace’s eyes scanned over the room and although she was first looking at how clean it was, her eyes quickly landed on her jewelry box. That box held some of Grace’s most precious pieces of jewelry. There was her mother’s engagement ring and her father’s gold necklace he was gifted after his baptism. She knew she couldn’t have brought those things along with her, scared it would confuse Clive. She remembered trying not to make it look as if she was packing as if she was leaving forward but instead packing as if she was coming back. Looking back, she knew Clive was too drunk to notice the difference. 

“Grace,” Tommy whispered, drawing her attention back to the present. He gently cupped her face, making sure she paid attention as he spoke. He partially knew how this felt. Going back to his home after Grace and him broke up felt like hell. All those emotions rushed back to him and he cried and cried until he couldn’t anymore. He didn’t want the same for Grace and willed himself to be strong for her. “Let’s get what you need and go.”

Grace nodded, water pooling in her eyes. She blinked them away, not letting herself cry. She couldn’t believe what she had put up with Clive. She almost felt naive, letting him walk all over her. It wasn’t the same with Tommy and she would make sure she would never be walked all over again.

Quietly, she moved across her room to her closet and opened it. She had wondered if he had even kept any of her possessions or, in spite, thrown them out. Luckily, he had not done that and she knew it was probably because he had not stepped foot into their room since Grace left. 

This realization saddened her but, at the same time, made her move even more efficiently. She knew Clive’s personality and knew he would not go down without a fight. He had fought Tommy when they first met and somehow, Grace had a feeling he was not even close to peace. As Grace grabbed her dresses, Tommy carefully placed her jewelry box in her bag before crossing the room and meeting her at the closet. He watched for a moment as she struggled to unhook her dresses from the closet before intervening and doing it himself.

Grace took her bag from Tommy and stepped back to let him unhook her dresses. While he began organizing them, Grace busied herself by opening the jewelry box she hadn’t held in months. Inside, along with other memorable pieces, were the two possessions she held dear to her heart; her mother’s ring and her father’s necklace. Without thinking, she slipped her mother’s ring on her own ring finger and watched it glisten in the light. It was a small green gem held together by a silver band but it was the prettiest thing she had ever seen. She had never worn it when she was engaged to Clive because it never seemed right but now that she was engaged to the right man, she had no reservations about wearing it. She had even told Tommy not to buy an engagement ring because she had one of her own.

When Tommy turned around and saw what Grace was doing, he couldn’t help but smile. She was glowing and Tommy knew it wasn’t only because she was pregnant but also because she was genuinely happy. Her happiness made even someone like Tommy Shelby smile.

“Ah, let me.” Tommy said, stopping Grace from slipping the ring completely around her finger. In a moment of confusion, Grace handed him the ring and he took it happily. Before she could decide what he had in mind, Tommy was already kneeling before the woman he loved. “Will you marry me?”

Grace felt her cheeks turn red. Sheepishly, she nodded and stretched out her hand so Tommy could slide the ring onto her finger. “Of course.” She answered with such conviction in her voice, Tommy knew she could never have any regrets. When it was finally around her slender finger, Tommy stood back up and held her hand, promising himself to never let go.

When they finally exited the bedroom, Clive was sitting in the parlor and waiting for them. Although she wanted to avoid him entirely, she knew she couldn’t. Partly because even he deserved closure and also because they had to walk through the parlor to exit the home. As they slowly approached Clive, he seemed to be in a trance and for a moment, Grace thought that maybe he wouldn’t speak and let them leave quietly. But Clive had been waiting for this moment ever since Grace had left him for Tommy and he wasn’t about to let this moment slip away from him.

“I wanna speak to Grace.” He mumbled, speaking up just as they passed him. “Alone.”

This stopped both Tommy and Grace in their tracks. Tommy was the first to turn around, Grace’s dresses in his arms. “Like hell you will.”

Clive stood up, locking eyes with Tommy and ignoring Grace. “I deserve to -.”

“No, mate, what you deserve is -” Tommy started but he didn’t get far because before he could reprimand him any more, Grace latched onto his arm and stopped him.

“I’ll speak to you.” She said this with her head held up high and her face a solemn expression. She wouldn’t show any weakness. Before, she was the quiet housewife but she was not like that anymore and Clive would soon realize how much she had changed.

Tommy wanted to question her and convince her to leave but he knew her too well. She was persistent and maybe even more stubborn than he was and nothing could stop Grace once she made her mind up about something. Without looking at her, Tommy walked past the both of them and waited by the front door. Although he allowed for them to speak alone, he would not allow himself to take his eyes off Grace. He did not trust Clive in the slightest and was more than willing to give him a good beating if necessary.

“What is it that you want to say?” Grace began, watching as Clive’s hands wrapped tightly around the stem of his beer bottle. She could tell her was trying to contain his emotions but it was not going over so well.

“You’re pregnant?” He stared at her small belly. Even in this flowy green dress, her small belly protruded out.

Grace cleared her throat, not wanting to answer his question. Instead she repeats herself. “What is it that you want to say?”

Clive’s eyes snapped back up to hers, as if he was coming back to reality. “I just want to ask you if you’re happy.” Clive responded earnestly and for a moment, she saw the man she first met. The man that was kind to her. The man that had not started drinking so excessively yet. For a moment, it was the old Clive.

That moment was gone when she spoke again. “I am.”

Clive’s eyes darkened and he looked to Tommy for a moment before looking back to Grace. This time, she noticed, he couldn’t meet her gaze. “I’m sorry for what has happened. I know this partially falls on me.”

Grace shrugged, unable to believe that he was actually apologizing. Although apologizing would not nearly close the wounds he opened, she was certainly proud of him for taking the first steps. “And me. I was dishonest during our relationship.”

Clive shook his head. “All I ever thought about was where I would get my next drink. I’m a failure.”

Grace stopped herself from touching Clive. She wanted to comfort him but, at the same time, she didn’t want to be someone he could lean on anymore. “You have your whole life ahead of yourself. There’s years and years for you to improve. Even I have to learn to improve.”

Clive finally made eye contact for the last time. Even though Grace was unaware of it, this would be the last time she would ever speak to Clive for he would die several months later.

“You’re some girl, Grace Burgess.”

~

Grace had lived in New York for two years and in that time, had never been through the true New York experience. Most of her time was spent being the obedient housewife, or trying to forget Tommy so she rarely had days to herself where she could roam New York and see all the wonderful sites. That day, however, she decided she would. Tommy seemed in a better mood than he had in weeks and the sun was still out and shining. She could not ruin a beautiful day like this by staying inside. So, once they dropped off Grace’s belongings at the hotel, they began touring New York. 

First stop was the New York harbour which would take the pair to Bedloe's Island. This was where the Statue of Liberty stood for all to see. Grace had only ever seen the beautiful statue in pictures or from far away but, as their ferry brought them closer and closer to the island, she saw it for what it truly was; a masterpiece. The lady stood tall, with her head up high. Grace watched in awe as she took in all of the designs; broken shackles, a book in one hand, and a torch in the other. It was a beautiful monument and, in some ways, she saw herself in the statue. Of course, she was not as magnificent as this statue but she had been through hell and she had come out the other side with her head held high. Just like Lady Liberty. She could tell Tommy was in awe as well, his eyes wide in surprise as he too took in all of the intricate details. When they finally docked and got off the ferry, Grace felt as though she was walking on air. Being so close to something so magnificent was such an indescribable feeling. 

As they approached the statue, a man caught Grace’s eye. A man stood off to the side of the statue and propped up beside him was a Kodak. This camera was very new, so much so that Grace had never seen one before today. She had heard amazing things about it and how good the quality was but she had never seen it up close. Then, she saw the sign he held and everything fell into place. It read; A DIME FOR A PICTURE.

“Tom, we need to take a picture.” Grace tugged on his arm and pointed to the man holding the camera.

Tommy snorted. “Have we ever had our picture taken together?”

Grace stops to think for a moment and then realizes they have not. “No. That’s why this is the perfect opportunity.”

Tommy watched as Grace flashed him the brightest smile. Although he detested having his picture taken, he loved Grace enough to compromise. “Alright.” He agreed, walking towards the man with the camera as Grace held onto his hand. Tommy fished through his pocket for a dime and when he found it, whistled to get the man’s attention. When the man had made eye contact with him, Tommy tossed him the dime and the man, with a huge grin on his face, caught it. “Just one sir.”

The man nodded, pointing to something behind the couple. “Just sit on that bench there sir.” His accent was thick but it wasn’t british. Tommy supposed he was from some Southern part of Italy.

Grace, not paying attention to the man’s accent, sat down on the bench in front of the statue and waited for Tommy to join her. In moments, he sat beside her, readjusting his hat and then wrapping one of his arms around her body. She snuggled in close to him, all giddy over getting her picture taken. The man then began the process of taking the picture, instructing them not to move. Grace obliged but Tommy couldn’t seem to sit still for too long.

Grace noticed this and looked to him while the cameraman was distracted. “What’s wrong?”

Tommy pressed his lips together in a small smile. “I just thought of something.”

Grace pulled her brows together in confusion. “What?”

Tommy continued to smile, not showing his teeth. “We look like foolish tourists.”

Grace threw her head back in laughter, knowing he was correct. She leaned in closer to Tommy, still laughing as her head fit itself on his shoulder. At that same moment, the cameraman took the picture and captured that moment in its entirety. When they looked at it afterwards, Tommy had to admit that they looked like regular lovers and not the most feared couple in Birmingham. Grace had to agree; they looked normal, but more importantly, they looked in love. It was a picture that captured just some of the essence of their love.

The day dragged on, both Tommy and Grace blindly unaware of all the time that had passed. They were so absorbed in each other that they did not have the time to focus on their surroundings. Grace promised to remember their time in New York as a fun one, where Tommy started acting like himself again. After visiting the Statue of Liberty, Tommy wanted to bring Grace to the Bronx, where he knew an old friend lived. At first, she was apprehensive, always cautious of the men Tommy knew. They usually either worked for him or worked alongside him during the war and either way, they were not the nicest. But Tommy had insisted and Grace didn't want to let him down so she agreed.

His name was Tony Concerto, an italian tailor that worked at a small shop at the edge of his small town. As they drove to the store, Tommy reminisced with Grace on all the adventures the two of them shared. At first, they had despised each other. This was back before Tony immigrated to America and still lived in Birmingham. His family had moved during the Great War to what they thought was a quaint place. Turned out, British people did not like Italians. Tony faced bullying everyday as he entered school and Tommy watched from his home as the neighborhood boys threw trash at the Italian on his way to school. At first, Tommy could care less. He had been led to believe that Italians were dirty bastards. Besides, he had just come back from the war and was trying to heal his own wounds. Until, one day, when Tony risked his life to save Tommy's. Tommy had been followed by some italian mobsters after a deal between them had gone sour. As Tommy walked down a street in Birmingham, he caught sight of two men behind him who had been following him since he left his home. Assured he could take them on himself, Tommy led them into an alley where he drew his gun to shoot. As it turned out, there were more than just two men and instead five men popped out from behind them. Tommy was trapped as he held a small pistol in front of seven armed italians. Tony had watched Tommy lead the men into the alley but when he saw five other men join them, he acted quickly and came to Tommy's defense. Without thinking of the possible ramifications, Tony stepped in between the italians and Tommy and tried to speak to them in italian. Tommy watched in awe as Tony convinced the men to leave, saying that if Tommy was dead, his brothers would go to hell for all the things they would do to them. Tommy was utterly moved by Tony's bravery and gave him a job as the first ever italian Peaky Blinder. Sadly, Tony moved away three years ago to get a better, more honest, job but they still write and call each other on occasion. Tommy never forgot the first time anyone showed him kindness after the war.

"I can't believe I haven't heard of him before." Grace stated, looking at Tommy as his eyes lit up talking about Tony. She couldn't wait now until she met the man that saved Tommy.

"He left right before you came. Besides, we haven't seen each other in a very long time. But I thought, while I have the opportunity, I should introduce the two of you." Tommy explained, turning around another corner. Grace could tell they were getting close because Tommy had begun to tap his fingers against the wheel, a nervous tick he did whenever he became impatient.

"I think that's a lovely idea." Grace agreed, clearing her throat before continuing. "What is his position at the tailor's?"

Tommy looked in his rear view mirror before answering. "He's an apprentice as of right now but if he works hard, and I know he will, he'll be a tailor in no time."

Finally, they pulled into the store parking lot where only one other car was parked. The store was very small and stood alone, separate from all the other larger buildings. There was a gold plate at the top of the door which read: GINO'S TAILOR, but the rest of the outside was painted a dark blue. It was a quaint shop but still looked magnificent.

"I think I'm gonna like him." Grace nods, opening her door and getting out of the car to meet Tommy.

He did the same and they quickly met at the front of the car before he replied to Grace. "I think you will."

And so, the two lovers, hand in hand, entered the store with a smile on their faces. Unfortunately, their smiles quickly dropped as the first thing they saw was a disheveled man pacing back and forth in the store. Grace assumed he was Tony and when she cleared her throat to get his attention, he looked even more glum to see them. This was not the greeting she had expected, especially not after all she heard about Tony.

"Tommy!" Tony yelled, rushing towards Tommy and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You have to leave. They're coming." As he started to push Tommy, completely ignoring Grace, he didn't move and instead stood his ground.

"What's the matter?" Tommy interrogated, not bothered by the terror in Tony's voice.

"And who is ‘they’?" Grace piped up, forgetting her manners for a moment. This did not seem good and the senses she learned as a spy were telling her that something bad was about to happen.

Tony stopped trying to shove Tommy for a moment to look at Grace. "They? The Sicillian mafia that's who."

This only created more confusion. This time, Tommy spoke up. "What do they want with you Tony?"

Tony's shoulder slumped, feeling defeated over the fact that Tommy was not listening to him and instead staying where he was. "I'm supposed to pay for my protection. We're a month behind. I tried pleading with the owner but he won't budge. If you don't pay on time, they'll come collect what's theirs."

Although he tried not to show it, this worried Tommy. The Sicilians were not someone you messed with. They played dirty and if they wanted something they would go through anyone, women and children, to get it. He knew the second Tony told them he didn't have their money, they would kill him. He couldn't let that happen.

"Okay, listen to me Tony. I'm gonna help you." He let go of Grace's hand and put both of his hands on Tony's shoulders. "Get all the weapons you have and bring them to the front. We'll be ready for when they come."

Tony nodded, running off just as Tommy finished. Grace's heart picked up. She couldn't let this happen; not after all the work Tommy had done. He had come so far. He had changed in such a short amount of time and this battle was going to ruin it. She couldn't let this happen but she also knew Tommy. She knew that his honour told him to help a friend no matter the personal cost. It was one of the things she loved about him. But she couldn't lose him now. Not with a baby on the way.

"Tom..." Grace started to warn him but he promptly cut her off.

"Grace, get in the car and drive back to the hotel." He instructed. She watched as he rummaged through his pockets to find his car keys. When he finally found them, he handed them to her, only speaking after he did so. "And don't wait for me."

"Tommy, no." Grace insisted this time. She was not going to leave Tommy. "I'm here with you. Until the end."

Tommy shook his head, clearly agitated at Grace's defiance. "Absolutely not. You have our baby growing inside you. If you think -"

"What I think," Grace interrupted, watching behind Tommy as Tony came back into the room with two pistols and a rifle. She walked past Tommy and took one pistol from Tony before looking back at Tommy. "Is that I have the best shot. You need me."

Tommy reaches under his coat and retrieves his own gun, walking towards Grace as he does so. "Grace, I'm telling you to leave."

Grace shakes her head, grabbing the other pistol. He raised both her arms and pointed the guns to the window. "And I'm telling you there's no way in hell I'm leaving you behind."

Grace and Tommy hear Tony chuckle from behind them. They lower their weapons and turn to face the delirious boy. "You never told me how cool your girlfriend was Tom."

Grace rolled her eyes, raising her hand to flash her engagement ring. "Fiance."

Tony smirked. "My apologies. Now, are you gonna let the poor girl stay?"

Grace looked back to Tommy and watched as the man she loved debated in his head whether or not to let her stay. Finally, the question was answered for him as the revving of an engine was heard in the distance. Disappointed, they all turned around to look out the window and see two sicilian men exit their car. Tommy instantly made eye contact with Grace and gave her a solemn nod, still upset over her defiance.

"Grace and Tony, hide behind the register. I'll hide underneath that table to get a better angle." Tommy instructed, pointing to a large wooden desk to the left.

Grace and Tony nodded, scurrying towards the register and hiding behind the desk. As Tony dropped to the ground, Grace waited until Tommy got to his position. Although they were in trouble, she partially enjoyed the adventure. With a small smile, she spoke one last time. "Everything's going to be fine."

Tommy smirked, turning the safety off on his gun. "Just try not to show off." And with that he ducked behind the table.

Just as Grace hid with Tony, the Sicilians opened the door of the store. At first, everything was silent as they both realized it seemed as if no one was here. Grace closed her eyes and imagined the men walking around the store for a moment to make sure. She heard the shuffling of feet but she wasn't scared. Although she figured she was a little rusty, she knew if they came close to either Tommy or Tony, she wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

She continued to hear their feet shift around the store as one of them finally spoke up. "Seems like nobody's here." She knew that tone. They knew someone was in there and they were toying with them.

"No," the other agreed sarcastically. "Seems like the place is deserted." Grace heard the giggle come out before he could get his entire sentence out.

"Just come out and surrender and nobody will hurt you." One of the Sicilians promised. Grace knew these words were only lies to entice them to reveal themselves. She wasn't that dumb and knew neither were Tommy or Tony.

For a moment, Grace hoped they would leave and never return. Maybe she wouldn't have to shoot anyone if they were smart and left. But she knew better and when she heard the familiar click of them turning the safety off their gun, she knew it was time.

"Come on out, boy." One of them yelled, shooting a bullet into the wall in front of Grace and Tony. She watched as Tony jumped, the sound of a bullet scaring but not Grace.

Grace knew they were being nice and this was just a warning. The next time they fired a shot, it would be to kill. With that in mind, she poked her head out the side of the desk where she was sure they would not see her. She needed to look at Tommy. She needed to make sure it was time. Thankfully, his eyes were already on hers and all she had to do was raise her brows to ask. Slowly, he nodded and that was all Grace needed. In seconds, her and Tommy were up on their feet and shooting the sicilians. Although Grace didn't want to kill them, she knew she had to at least wound them greatly. She shot the sicilian closest to her in the leg. He dropped to the floor in a bloody scream, putting pressure on his wound. Unfortunately, while he put pressure on the wound with one hand, he raised his gun at Grace. She was quicker than him and aimed her gun at his hand and shot it right off. He screamed again and this time, dropped to the floor.

Tommy was not as lenient. While Grace spared the man's life, Tommy went for the kill. He took on the other sicilian and shot him directly in the shoulder, hoping he would go down rather easily. That didn't happen. Sicilians were loyal until the end and as Tommy expected, the man raised his gun even as he lay bleeding out on the floor. This time, Tommy made sure he didn't miss. He walked around the table he had been hiding behind and shot the man right between his eyes, killing him instantly.

"Holy shit." Tony gasped, his hands shaking from what he just witnessed. "You two are like Bonnie and Clyde."

Grace turned to look at him, a smile on her face. "Except I actually know how to use a gun."

She heard Tommy scoff from behind her. "Told you not to show off." He pointed to the man screaming in pain.

Grace watched as the man held onto his leg wound and tried to get up from the floor. All his attempts were unsuccessful considering Grace had shot off three of his fingers on his other hand. Slightly amused, Grace kneeled down near the man and reached in her pocket for her handkerchief. She unfolded it slowly before extending her arm to give it to the man.

"Oh, silly me." She smirked, realizing he couldn't grab it because he was out of hands. "You can't grab it. Here, let me help."

Grace tentatively wrapped the handkerchief around the man's hand as he screamed in pain. She ignored it, concentrating on tying the handkerchief tight so the man would not lose too much blood. Grace could almost be a nurse with all the information she knew about the human body. Although his fingers were gone, he was not dead and his leg would eventually heal. She knew what keeping him alive meant; she was trying to send the Sicilian mafia a message. The message being don't fucking with the Peaky Blinders.

"You leave this man alone," Grace coldly said as the man continued to scream in pain. "Or else, next time, I won't miss."

"Fuck you, bitch!" He screamed in agony, spit flying from his face. "Fuck you!"

In a fit of rage, Tommy lunged for the man and pressed down onto the wound in his leg, only causing him to scream louder. He leaned down to whisper in the man's ear. "Be fucking polite."

In an attempt to prevent her fiance from killing the man, Grace pulled Tommy away from him. Although he didn't want to leave this man alive, he knew Grace only spared his life to scare the Sicilian mafia. He almost wanted to laugh in this situation. He never thought he'd be here, shooting at mobsters in New York. He had wanted to get away from Birmingham for the same reason and now here he was, watching as his pregnant fiance stepped on the remaining fingers the italian still had.

“Now, you’re gonna tell your boss we don’t want him around here any longer.” There was no remorse in her voice as she spoke and Tommy almost felt proud.

Although her words were dark, the italian did not seem as frightened when he heard Grace speak. “You’re british, aren’t ya?”

Grace stepped harder onto the man’s fingers and he yelped out again in pain. Even as he yelled, though, a smirk still remained on his face. When Grace released the pressure, she spoke. “Are you not listening to me?”

The man shrugged, seeming to forget that Tommy and Grace had the upper hand and could kill him at any moment. Instead of addressing Grace any longer, he craned his head to the left and looked to Tommy with that snarky grin on his lips. “You’re a Peaky fucking Blinder, aren’t ya?”

Tommy reached down and, with his thumb, pressed into the man’s leg wound again. This time, the man only winced. “Keep your filthy fucking mouth shut.” Tommy seethed. Although he would never show it, he was worried. They knew who he was. He didn’t know how but they knew he was a Peaky Blinder. Something told Tommy that they had just made a huge mistake messing with the Sicilians. 

The man leaned his head back and then forward, spitting right on Tommy’s nose. “He’s gonna come looking for you. Mr. Shelby.”

Grace’s mouth hung open. Although she didn’t want to show the italian how surprised she truly was, she couldn’t help herself. She wondered how he knew Tommy. She suspected it was his hat and the razor blades protruding out but she couldn’t be sure. There was something Tommy wasn’t telling Grace and she knew it had to do with all those nights where he would come home late. 

“Tom?” Grace patted his shoulder, looking between the smirking italian and her fiance. 

Tommy composed himself and finally stood up, glancing at the italian one last time before looking at Tony. He couldn’t divulge to Grace at this very moment on what was going on, although he was sure she was anxious to figure it out. “Tony,” Tommy called, his friend finally looking from the dead man on the floor to Tommy. “Clean this mess up, we’ll handle him.”

Although Tony was not going to ask too many questions, Grace was not as polite. She was confused but mostly, she felt betrayed. She had trusted Tommy and she had thought he had seen them as equals. Now, she was reevaluating everything as she watched the man she loved hide something so important to her. As Tony and Tommy dragged the dead italian out through the back door, Grace stood with the injured man, who still had the same smirk on his face. After moments of silence, the italian spoke to Grace in a hushed tone.

“You don’t know who you’re working for. What type of man he is.” 

Grace turned to the man, her eyes narrowed. Although she felt betrayed, she would never do the same to Tommy and let this man try to confuse her. Although Tommy made a mistake, she still loved and trusted him. She bent down beside the italian, her gun pressed against his jaw. “Why do I have to work for him? Maybe he works for me.”

The italian rolls his eyes. “That’s Thomas Shelby in the back. He’s the head of the Peaky Blinders. Trust me, you work for him. And if you think he loves you, he can’t.”

Grace chews the inside of her cheek, not allowing herself to be brainwashed by this man. “And how do you know who he is?”

The man chuckled. “If you trust him so much, ask him yourself.”

~

Grace hadn’t spoken to Tommy since they boarded the boat back to Birmingham. Tommy had given Tony a large sum of money to lay low for a while and decided it was safest if him and Grace went home. The sparkle they had felt on their first day in New York had sizzled into a dull ache in Grace’s chest. She wanted this vacation to be special and now, she had just learned her fiance, whom she thought trusted her, was keeping secrets. She didn’t know what to say. 

As they sat down in their room, luggages piled high in one corner, Tommy wondered how to begin this terrible conversation. He knew she was disappointed. He didn’t have to guess. She hadn’t talked to him in hours and now, he wondered if she would ever speak again.

“I’m going to get some tea.” Grace finally spoke, her throat dry from not speaking for so long. She stood up and walked to the door but before she could slide the door open, Tommy hand rested on the door and prevented her from doing so. 

“Grace, please.” He didn’t want to argue but it seemed inevitable. 

“Tommy, leave me the fuck alone.” She hissed, removing her hand since it was so close to her own.

“What the fuck do you want me to do?” He hadn’t raised his voice in hopes it would calm her but she only seemed to get angrier by the minute.

“What do I want? I want you to tell me the fucking truth! I’m not some wounded animal that you need to nurse back to health.” Grace spat, her hands shaking. She knew none of this stress was good for her but Tommy had created the mess to begin with.

“What do you want from me? You want me to trouble my pregnant fucking wife?” Tommy questions, now as angry as Grace was. He didn’t appreciate her line of questioning.

“I think I’ve proved myself to you Tommy, pregnant or not. I want you to not fucking lie to me.” Grace sat back down on the bed, the stress of the day finally getting to her. “We’re supposed to be equals, you ninny.”

Tommy smirks, crossing the room and kneeling before his love. “Ninny? I haven’t been called a ninny since primary school.”

Grace grabbed one of his hands, her face still hard. “Don’t joke with me right now. Tell me what has happened.”

Tommy sighed, dropping his head in Grace’s lap for a moment. He didn't want to indulge her but he did not have another choice. He had to be honest with her. “When those coppers took me away on Derby Day, they almost killed me.” Tommy looked in Grace’s eyes, speaking softly as ever. She said nothing and tried to leave all the remarks until the end. She just held him as he spoke. “I nearly thought I was fucking done for. And then they spared me. Said Churchill wasn’t done with me. Something changed in me that day. I don’t know what exactly but I started dealing with Russians. I thought the more money I had, the more secure I was. I wanted to be untouchable. The Russians promised me this. But the Italians in New York felt betrayed since the Russians and Italians have been at war for years. Now, I have a target on my back from both the Russians and the Italians. And not only am I not untouchable, I also put you and the baby in harm’s way today.”

Grace said nothing for a moment. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Suddenly, it all made sense. Tommy had come back different. He had looked death in the face and never wanted to look at it again. He thought the more money he had, the less danger would follow him. But that was rarely true and Grace knew it. 

“Tommy,” Grace said, reaching up to cup his face. He looked at her, a wave of emotions in his eyes. “You have to lean on me. You have to. Or you’ll break.”

Tommy nodded, his eyes not leaving her face. “I know.”

“You keep me safe Tommy, but someone has to keep you safe. Let it be me.” Grace caressed his face, trying to soothe his nervous body. She wanted to wipe away everything that was hurting him but now that he shared, she hoped he could start healing.

As the boat cut through the water on it’s way back to Birmingham, the two lovers held each other and realized that they needed to keep each other safe. They needed to lean on each other. And so they did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a shorter while but there will be a part 2 to this so stay tuned! thank you all for your wonderful encouragement <3


	5. A New Era of Shelby is Born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Grace Shelby face this new chapter of their lives with a new set of danger. But they are Shelby's after all, and what Shelby doesn't thirst after danger?

Weeks turned into months and soon, the small bump on Grace’s stomach turned into a large protrusion. As her stomach grew, her feet began to swell as well, taking her even more so out of the field. This was the part of pregnancy Grace hated the most. Her position as Tommy’s partner in crime and Chief Financial Officer at Shelby Company Limited, were coveted by every man in Birmingham. She felt secure in her position before, but now, she grew weary. Now, as she grew more pregnant, she watched the men below her slowly start to see her more as a fragile pregnant woman rather than a woman, which seemed to be worse. At least as a woman, there was some sense that she was tough since she was a Shelby soon but now, as a pregnant woman, men often looked at her as if she were a wounded animal. Every time she ordered one of the foremen to perform a task on her behalf, she would be met with stiff glares or muttered breaths. It would not matter to Grace if it were not for the fact that she felt threatened. She knew the second she gave birth, Tommy would want her to rest for the first couple of months of the child’s life. This meant that her position at Shelby Company Limited was up for grabs by any high standing man in Birmingham. Although she knew Tommy would never intentionally hurt her feelings by hiring someone else in her absence, it would.

She had initially wanted to tell Tommy, but she wasn’t sure what she would say. Firstly, the men hadn’t outwardly been rude or insubordinate to her so she felt, for one of the first times since she came back to Birmingham, powerless. Usually when she felt this way, she could consult Tommy and usually find a warm embrace as she spoke to him. Now, she felt more alone than ever. Tommy just didn’t understand what it was like to be a woman in such a respected position that was usually occupied by a man. Secondly, she knew business was business and Tommy would have to hire someone in her absence after the baby was born. If he didn’t, his company might suffer and that was something neither Tommy nor Grace wanted. What really bothered her about Tommy temporarily hiring someone in Grace’s absence was that it might not be temporary after all. Her biggest fear was that when she was ready to return to work, Tommy would not want her to do so since he had been getting along with the man in question. They had some small arguments over the company thus far but it rarely lasted long after they came home and if it did, they would make up before dinner. She feared that Tommy would enjoy the man’s company as his second in command rather than Grace. She knew this thought was completely foolish yet, here she was, these thoughts consumed her mind.

At first, her silence seemed normal. When they had first returned from New York, Tommy had thought Grace had been so quiet because of what unfolded in Tony’s shop. Slowly, as months passed, he became increasingly aware that it was indeed not the debacle in New York but something else on her mind. He first realized that it was possibly something else bothering Grace two days before the birth of her child, when he arrived home later than usual from the office and Grace was not in her usual spot on the sofa. Their unspoken agreement would be that Grace’s face was the first thing he wanted to see when he entered their home but that night, she was nowhere to be found. At first, Tommy did not want to panic. He was not the sort of man to jump to conclusions, but he would be lying if he said that Grace’s absence from her spot on the sofa did not frighten him. Ever since she had begun her maternity leave only two months prior, Grace had upheld her end of the agreement and she was rarely a woman who made empty promises. 

With a deep breath, Tommy called for the maid who worked at night, hoping Grace had not been feeling well and retired to their bed earlier. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Then he checked his office, where he often would find Grace double checking his figures for the company, something she did when she was bored. When he did not find her there either, that was when he let himself worry. In the weeks before, Grace could barely walk, Tommy having to help her up the stairs since her feet had swollen as the pregnancy progressed. There was no way Grace could have made it outside without someone carrying her. This realization made Tommy shiver. The only option in his mind was that the dirty business he dealt with as a Peaky Blinder somehow wormed its way inside his house.

Tommy could not run to the telephone fast enough. He darted towards the machine, zigzagging past the chairs and table in his way. Frantically, he dialed John’s number first, knowing John could find out who had Grace before he could. It seemed like John had his ear to the ground, listening to every breath and footstep every man in Birmingham made. If anyone knew about where Grace could be, it was John.

“Eh, John?” Tommy’s voice had dropped to a low grumble, faking confidence so his brother would not know he was breaking inside.

He could hear John laugh before he answered his brother. “Ah, Tom, your lass here is a funny woman!”

Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. Before he let himself answer John, he listened to the sounds coming from the other side of the line. As he listened, he searched for any sign of life from Grace. Finally, he found it. From his telephone, he heard Grace laugh and suddenly, Tommy was no longer worried. He was angry. Grace was not only pregnant but she was his partner, and she had seemed to forget to tell Tommy where she was going. He knew this was not her forgetful mind, but a one instead full of malice. She had purposely not told Tommy for reasons unknown to him.

“John,” Tommy finally spoke after moments of silence. He had to gather himself; it had been a draining experience to shift from fear to anger all at once. “Put Grace on the phone.”

There’s a small pause in John’s lively mood, sensing Tommy’s anger, before he lets out a small grumble before moving away from the telephone. Tommy can hear John yell Grace’s name briefly before there’s sounds of shuffling and John hands the phone to Grace. Tommy can tell Grace does not want to make her presence known, slightly afraid of what Tommy is going to say. Tommy does not allow her to hesitate though because he speaks first.

“Grace?” Tommy grumbles, agitated at her carelessness. “What were you thinking?”

Tommy hears Grace scoff on the other side of the phone. “I was thinking that I haven’t left the house in two months since you put me on bloody leave.” There’s no lively sounds coming from the other side of the phone as when John answered and Tommy knows John and Esme must be listening. 

Tommy sighed, trying to compose himself. “And you couldn’t fucking tell me?”

Grace let out a short grumble, seemingly more agitated than Tommy. “I just -” She did not allow herself to say what was next. 

She could not bring herself to tell Tommy the real reason she left their home for the night. The reason being she felt so alone all the time and needed some company. She didn’t want to hurt Tommy’s feelings, or anger him more than he already was. The old Grace would not have been like this. She would be ready to tell Tommy her opinion in a matter of seconds, not caring if it hurt his feelings in some way. She was stronger, but ever since New York, and ever since those thoughts of being replaced entered her mind, she was quieter.

“What is it?” Tommy persisted, upset but still interested in what she had to say. He knew something had to be terribly wrong now. No matter how bad things were, Grace would never keep a secret. Not anymore. Not after everything they had been through.

“I want to stay at John and Esme’s tonight. I’ll speak to you in the morning.” Grace wanted to tell Tommy his concerns when they had a new day ahead of him. She wanted to look him in the eyes as she told him her deepest secret that she had been withholding from him for months now. 

“Grace, what’s the matter?” Tommy insisted, not knowing if he could sleep alone knowing that there was something bothering Grace.

“Please sleep Tom. We’ll speak tomorrow.”

~

When Tommy awoke, he was not greeted with the familiar smell of Grace’s lemon verbena and was yet again reminded of their fight the night before. He despised how he felt after Grace and him fought almost as much as when they fought. It was this deep, unbearable ache in his chest. It only dulled when he saw her again and, considering how stubborn Grace was, he knew he would not be seeing her again. At least not until tonight.

Tonight.

 _Blimey_ , Tommy thought. Tonight was the dinner Grace insisted on holding after Arthur had announced he had gotten engaged to Linda. Tommy was against any formal gathering with Arthur, knowing he was not the sort of man to be able to sit at a dinner table and be polite, but Grace had insisted. And Tommy found it very hard to say no to her. Grace had planned the whole thing, insisting that it would keep her mind busy until the baby would come and Tommy decided against arguing. 

The baby. Tommy couldn’t believe time had passed as fast as it had. It seemed only yesterday he had caught a glance at Grace, the new barmaid, and had been enchanted by her presence. Now, more than 3 years later, they were planning on welcoming their first child. Sometimes Tommy wondered if this had all been a dream. Maybe Grace truly was not his and it had all been a hoax. But he continued to remind himself that even if all this time after the war had been extra, he deserved happiness.

Finally, Tommy opened his eyes. He expected to see a messy, dark room but instead he saw the opposite. The night before he had haphazardly thrown his clothes on the floor, too exhausted to think about where he would be placing them but, as his eyes adjusted to the warm glow of the lamp on his bedside table, he found his clothes folded neatly on Grace’s chair beside her vanity. Tommy could not help but smile a bit. She was home. Surely, the maids would not be in his room as he slept so it could only be Grace. Those folded clothes might look simple to anyone else but Tommy knew what it really meant. He knew she was not upset with him and he had done nothing wrong to make her leave as he had previously thought. 

The day already seemed lovely, full of opportunities even before Tommy got out of bed. In a particularly good mood already, Tommy wrapped a robe around himself, a small smile on his lips. Thomas Shelby didn’t recognize himself in the mirror as he tied the knot. Seeing himself so uncharacteristically chipper this early in the morning felt weird. He knew this happiness had everything to do with Grace. Before Grace, Tommy could count on one hand how many times he woke up with a smile on his face. Now, Grace was behind the reasons for his happiness. Before Grace, the last time he was this consistently happy was when his mother was still alive. Now, there would be no more “before” Grace. Only after.

Tommy moved to the sink. He grabbed his toothbrush and began brushing. As he did, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Resting on Grace’s vanity, untouched, was the robe he had gotten for her. He had it specially made nearly a year ago. It was a homecoming present. They had just reconnected and made plans to meet in Birmingham and marry and, although his apartment had not felt like home, he wanted Grace to be comforted. He watched the pink, silk robe lay there, lifeless. The same cursive letters blinded his eyes. Grace Shelby. That robe brought him back to a simpler time. Although Grace was fleeing New York to be with Tommy, their love seemed so strong. In the past months, he felt a disconnect. He knew there was an unspoken problem between them, the only issue was who would approach the other first. As Tommy rinsed his mouth, his eyes still on that robe, he decided he would have to break the silence first. And he would do it now. He rarely descended down the stairs into the main den of the house in his sleeping garments still but he had to find Grace. Now.

With a few fast strides, Tommy made his way quickly to the door of their room and turned the knob clockwise. As he pulled it open, a gust of wind blew in his face. His eyes quickly adjusted to the brighter lights of the hallway. Surely, he thought the maids would be working already. He was not wrong. As he peered his head into the corridor, he saw an older, but still familiar, maid named Mary. She was carrying a few dirty dishes on a large silver tray, humming a tune under her breath. 

Tommy finally stepped into the hallway when he saw her. He closed the door behind him, remembering to tighten the knot around his robe. He knew this was an improper way to approach Mary but he didn’t care too much right then. He needed to find Grace and he knew Mary would know where Grace was. They were always so close, giggling and gossiping whenever Tommy found them together. Tommy tried to remind Grace that she was acting improper with Mary, considering Grace was the lady of the house, but Grace refused to listen. Her excuse was just that Mary was her friend. Grace’s kindness only made Tommy love her more.

“Mary?” Tommy called out to the woman, her back to him. His voice was much colder than he intended but then again, Tommy was cold to everyone but Grace.

Mary almost instantly turned around to face Tommy. The second her eyes landed on him, they widened. She was an older lady, coming from a time before Tommy or Grace were even born. By her standards, Tommy was being completely improper. No one was supposed to see the man of the house in his sleeping garments, even if his robe was covering everything. She expected more from Tommy. Her eyes raised to his face instead, and she cleared her throat, trying not to think of this embarrassing situation she had been put in.

“Yessir?” Mary spoke quietly, as she always had. She would regularly lecture Grace on her improper behaviour because they were both women but she would never lecture Tommy.

“Have you seen Miss Grace?” Tommy asked, an unusual tone in his voice as he spoke of Grace.

Mary nodded eagerly. “She is in the garden, sir.” She had caught glimpses of their coldness to one another in the past months, which had been a change since they could barely keep their hands off each other when they first bought this manor and hired Mary. She wanted nothing more for them to return back to their normal dynamic.

Tommy nodded as a way of thanking Mary and proceeded to walk past her and made his way down the staircase. This time, he felt more nervous and did not smile. Instead, he tried to take steady breaks as he moved to the back of his manor, closing to where Grace was.

When they first moved into the Arrow House, Grace attempted to make the vast manor into a cozy home for their child to grow up in. In her attempt to do so, besides painting the walls and purchasing new furniture, she planted a garden in the countryside behind them. They had acres and acres of land and although some of that land was used by the cooks for growing vegetables for them to eat, Grace plotted a space for her and her future child to come to when they wanted to spend time alone. She wanted a safe space for her child to go, whenever he was feeling overwhelmed. A place where he’d feel safe. Over the past year, the garden had bloomed from little twigs sprouting up from the soil, to vibrant colours of purple, blue and yellow decorating the land. It was one of Grace’s prized possessions and Tommy oftentimes found her out in the garden whenever he came home early from work. He only hoped that Mary was correct and he’d find her in the garden once again.

As he exited his home through the back door, his eyes scanned the land. His eyes moved over each part of the land, looking for the familiar blonde hair he adored. Finally, with enough tension to make him explode, Tommy’s eyes land on Grace. She’s on her hands and knees, watering a small plant that she must have just planted. Like him, she still is in her sleeping garments, except instead of wearing a robe, she’s wearing her autumn coat. It’s long and brown with fur laced around the collar. He bought it for her in New York and she often reminds him that it’s her favourite. Although she has clearly just woken up and is struggling over her garden, Tommy thinks she looks beautiful. So, he steps forward and slowly approaches Grace. He’s worried that if he runs over he might alarm her and that’s the last thing he wants to do.

When he is only a few feet away, he finally catches Grace’s attention and she turns around to see him standing there, in his sleeping garments and only a robe to keep him warm. They make eye contact for a moment and Grace can already see the sympathy in his eyes. Grace places her hands flat on the ground and tries to push herself up. Instead, she wobbles for a moment and fails to stand up. She knows she must look stupid but her pride gets in the way and she refuses to ask for help. Only when she fails to get up the second time, does Tommy rush to her aid and grab onto her to pick her up. For a moment, she fights him off but when she knows he is persistent, she stops and lets him help her. 

“Thank you.” Grace nods to Tommy when she is on her feet, pulling away from his grasp only moments later.

Tommy smirks at how stubborn she is. He sees this as an improvement. At least she’s showing him some of her old fire. “Can we speak?”

Grace frowns. “We’re speaking now.”

Tommy’s smirk falls and he slowly grows impatient. He instinctively reaches for his pocket where his cigarettes may have been but he remembers that this is his robe pocket and there are no cigarettes in there. He has to face Grace and their inevitable argument without his trusty cigarettes. “You know what I mean, Grace.”

Grace bends over slightly and pats the dirt off her coat. She tries not to show how upset she is but by Tommy’s expression, he can tell she is not happy. “What seems to be the problem?”

Tommy erupts in an arrogant chuckle. “What seems to be the fucking problem? ‘Bout the fact that you went to John’s house and didn’t think to tell me?”

Grace snorts, showing attitude right back to Tommy. “I didn’t know you were my Sergeant and I needed to report to you.”

This time Tommy snorts. “Listen to me Grace, you might think I’m being overprotective, but I don’t fuckin’ care.”

In a fit of anger, Grace disregards Tommy and walks past him and makes her way to a piece of pavement made specifically for a table that sits between two chairs. She sits down on one of the chairs, expecting Tommy to leave but this time, Tommy is determined to not give up. Instead, he follows Grace and kneels down in front of her, grabbing onto her hands in her lap.

“What seems to be the problem?” Tommy asks sincerely, his eyes trying to meet Grace’s. She refuses to look at him but he persists. “Eh, Grace? What’s wrong?”

Grace desperately wants to tell him everything. But she’s afraid he won’t understand. She barely understands it herself. All she knows is that she needs to be her own person, and she needs to make herself useful even after she gives birth. She was going to be a mother, yes, and although that would take up much of her time, she needed to do something for herself. To do something she enjoyed. And she enjoyed nothing more than being her own boss and running the company beside Tommy. 

When Grace refuses to answer, Tommy reaches out and lightly touches the point of her chin, raising it to look at him. The second her eyes met his, they began to water. Tommy, slightly concerned over this emotion, wraps his arms around Grace and embraces her. He is not sure what is wrong but whatever it is, he wants to know. He knows it will never change how he feels about Grace. Nothing she could do could make him stop loving her.

“Grace, what’s the matter?” Tommy insists, pulling away slightly so he can make eye contact with her.

Grace takes a deep breath before proceeding. She knows she can’t run away from it now. She needs to share her worries with Tommy. “I want to work after the baby is born.”

Tommy frowns, a bit confused. “Well, of course you are.”

Grace shakes her head, grabbing a hold of his shoulders for balance. Their faces are inches away from each other but they both don’t seem to mind. They’re too concerned with the other to care. “I want to continue being CFO even after the child is born.”

Tommy smirks, still confused. “Grace, of course. I would never take that position away from you.”

A tear slides down Grace’s cheek but she wills herself to continue to speak. “I was afraid that you would hire a man in my absence and then decide you didn’t need me anymore.”

Tommy can’t help but give Grace a small smile. She was the only person he’d smile for these days. “Grace, Ada will be taking your place while you’re gone. When you resume your role, she’ll be your secretary. I’m not hiring some fucking wanker to take on the position.”

Grace, with tears still falling down her face, broke out into a fit of giggles. “Really?” 

She wondered why she ever doubted Tommy. She knew it was partially because of all the other men she had previously worked for who would not even bat an eye in replacing Grace with another man. But Tommy was different. He always was. Not only was he not replacing Grace, he was giving her spot temporarily to a woman. Grace could jump for joy.

Tommy reached up and cupped Grace’s face. “Grace, I respect your ideas so fucking much. Half of the company wouldn’t be as prosperous if it wasn’t for your brains. Shelby Company Limited needs a woman’s touch. I’m only offended you thought I’d replace you with some bloke.”

Grace frowned. “I’m sorry Tommy. I am. It’s just -” Grace paused. She had just come to the realization that maybe this whole time, it wasn’t about her job but something else entirely. This realization only made her cry more.

Tommy wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs. He wished so deeply that he could bear her pain but he knew he couldn’t. “What’s the matter, eh?”

“I’m afraid of what will happen after we marry.” Grace confessed, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke, deathly afraid of Tommy’s reaction to her revelation.

Although he did not want to feel hurt, he felt a small twinge in her heart hearing Grace say these words. Before he let himself jump to conclusions, he pressed her for more. “What?”

Grace wiped the tears from her cheeks and swallowed harshly. She knew she had to get her point across eloquently or she would scare him. “I’m afraid that once I marry you, I become nothing more than a wife and although I want nothing more than to be that, I also love working at the company and being your advisor. Some of the men already don’t trust me because of my gender, how’re they supposed to trust me now when I am also a mother and wife?”

Tommy’s frown deepened and for a moment Grace thought she had upset him. In reality, he was more upset with the men working for him than anything else. The fact that they had made Grace so uncomfortable with their prejudice that she felt like she couldn’t even come to Tommy and speak about it, made him livid. As a man, and the head of the Peaky Blinders, Tommy had never once worried about the idea that the men working for him did not trust him. In fact, he would argue that there was an overwhelming sense of trust between Tommy and the people that worked for him. So, he just assumed Grace would be given the same amount of respect that he had always been given, considering everyone knew she was his equal. Now, Tommy felt foolish. He had carelessly assumed something that wasn’t true, making his wife feel isolated in a time where she needed more support than ever. His assumption had ruined the months of pregnancy where Grace was supposed to be happy. And he could never forgive himself. But he could do right by Grace.

“I’m so sorry.” Tommy solemnly apologized, overcome with emotions. He always knew something was uneasy about Grace these past months but he never assumed it was this. In seconds, he strategizes a plan to hopefully help Grace. It was the least he could do. 

“Oh Tommy,” Grace sighed, touched at his apology when it wasn’t even his fault. “It’s truly not your fault.”

Tommy shakes his head, a small smile across his lips. Knowing Grace didn’t blame him made him feel as though a weight had been lifted off him. “Listen to me Grace,” Tommy started, pinching her cheek in an endearing way. “Let’s not get married right after the child’s born like we first proposed. We can wait a few years.”

Grace raises her brow. “Really?” She had wanted to ask Tommy for the same thing but she was too afraid he’d take it the wrong way. She wanted to marry Tommy without a doubt in her mind, but right now was not the best time. Hopefully, in a few years, when the business settled down and everything seemed easier to handle, they would get married.

“Yeah,” Tommy smirked, pecking her lips before continuing, “Who says we gotta do things in order? We already have a fuckin’ child; who cares?”

Grace’s smile tells Tommy everything and before she can ever give him an answer, he leans forward and closes the gap between their lips. He has not given her a proper kiss in weeks and he’s absolutely starved for Grace’s touch. He always feels that undeniable pull whenever he is near her but during these past weeks he has chosen to ignore it because of oddly Grace was behaving. Now, he could no longer help himself. As they kissed, Tommy wraps one of his arms around the back of her neck, pulling her in closer for a hug. He can feel her bump against him as he kisses her and it makes him genuinely smile. He rarely smiles but when he does, it’s for the woman who brought the light back into his life.

“So,” Tommy starts, breathing hard from the kiss. No matter how much air he gets into his lungs, he always feels a little breathless after kissing Grace. “What do you say?”

Grace smiles, reaching down to caress her bump. “I say yes.”

~

Out of all Tommy’s relatives, Grace was the closest with Arthur. Even as a barmaid, he always looked after her, making sure she was safe when she walked home and protected her from the rowdy men in the Garrison. No one ever messed with Grace while Arthur was around and she was eternally grateful to him. Of course, Grace was devastated when she had to leave Birmingham to New York, but one of the many things that broke her beyond repair was having to cut all ties with Arthur. She affectionately referred to him as a friendly giant; a man who, on the outside, appeared to be scary and aggressive, but on the inside, was just a softie who wanted to be loved beyond anything else. So, when Grace returned to Birmingham and saw Arthur for the first time in years, she was beyond happy to see her friend with a lover. Arthur, the man who always thought he’d end up alone, was now engaged.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Grace decided to plan a dinner with Arthur and his soon-to-be wife Linda. From the stories Tommy has told about his childhood, Grace knows that the Shelby family has never been outwardly affectionate. Grace’s childhood, however, was filled with laughter and affection. She hoped that by holding this dinner, she’d begin to foster the relationship she had with her family. Although it was a big jump, it was worth it. She could tell, even by the tone of Arthur’s voice over the telephone, he was beyond excited to sit down and have dinner with Grace and Tommy. She hoped this was the beginning of many more dinners as a family.

“Mary, have you set out the new forks?” Grace stood beside Mary, who was folding the napkins in a perfect triangle. 

They both stood in the far right side of the kitchen, away from all the sweet smells of food being cooked. The underside of Grace’s bump shot with pain but Grace skillfully forced her lips into a smile. She had experienced worse pain during this pregnancy and she was not about to alarm Tommy for no reason. Besides, her doctor warned Grace that there would be Braxton Hicks contractions, which were false labour pains. She was not due for another three weeks so Grace was convinced that there was nothing to fuss over. 

“Yes -” Mary stopped the second she looked in Grace’s eyes, still skillfully folding napkins as she watched. She had known Grace for far too long and could sometimes read the girl’s mind. Now, she knew by the simple fake smile Grace displayed, that something was wrong. “Miss Grace, is everything alright?”

Grace swallowed harshly, riding out the pain before speaking. “Yes, of course. Just hungry. Please let me know when Arthur and Linda arrive. I’ll be with Tommy in his study.” Before Marry could even nod, Grace turned on her heel and left the kitchen very quickly. 

The second she got to the stairs, Grace let herself falter and she grabbed a hold of the railing. She bit onto her bottom lip, stifling the cries of pain she would have likely let out. With one hand grabbing the railing, the other was placed on the underside of her belly, as if she was trying to hold the pain in her palm. She waited until the pain stopped fully before straightening her back and slowly climbing up the stairs and finding herself on the main floor. She was determined to not let these false pains ruin her important night. All of their hired help were bustling about, mumbling a greeting to Grace here and there, but most focused on their task at hand. Grace walked past them and to the door of Tommy’s study, where she was sure he would be. She stopped outside his door, not knocking yet. She smoothed out her hair and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She knew Tommy would never allow the night to continue if he knew she was in pain. So, she swallowed all her pain and put a small smile on her face. With a light knock, she announced her presence before quickly opening the door. Her eyes instantly found Tommy sitting at his desk and reading a small notebook that Grace knew to be his ledger. 

“They should be here soon darling.” Grace heard her voice come out smooth and quiet, and she thanked herself for finding what composure she had left. 

Tommy looked up from his notebook, a small smirk splayed across his lips. “I don’t see why we have to do this.”

Grace snorted. Even if she was in pain, he still made her laugh. “Because your brother is getting married and that’s something to celebrate.”

Tommy raised his hand and waved her over to him. She walked as quickly as her body was able to, still in pain. As she walked around his desk and to his side, she pushed out his chair and motioned for her to sit on his lap. Grace did so gently, still afraid any sudden movements would cause her to yelp out in pain. As she sat down on his lap, wrapped one of her arms around his neck, as if to balance herself.

When she was comfortable, Tommy spoke. “Thank you for this. Truly.”

Grace reached up with her other hand and brushed his hair to the side. When he was absorbed in his work like he usually was, his hair would fall messily on his forehead and Grace found herself constantly pushing his hair to the side. Her hand slowly moved to his cheek and she gently cupped it. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed and his smirk turned to a gentle smile. She wished Tommy always looked this relaxed but she knew this was one of the consequences of being in his field of work. He was always stressed.

“I want this child to grow up in a loving home. I want him to be close to his relatives.” Grace continued to caress the side of Tommy’s face as she spoke.

Tommy’s eyes fluttered open. “Him? How do you know it’s a boy?”

Grace shrugged, the pain stopping for a moment. “I just feel it.”

Tommy smiles. “Well, if you know, what name shall you give him?”

Grace bites her lip, a smile still on her lips. The pain subsides as she busies herself by talking to Tommy. “Well, I have a few ideas, but what about you? I know your family names the sons after the fathers.”

Tommy shook his head. “My father was never a real one. He was a fuckin’ drunk. No need to carry on that legacy.”

Grace nodded. “Then I was thinking Charles. Charlie, of course, for short.”

Tommy smiled at the woman he loved. He never thought he could love her any more than he already did but somehow, she kept on surprising him. “As in, after my uncle Charlie?”

Grace shrugged. “You told me long ago that he looked out for you like a father would. I’d say he would be a good man for our child to be named after.”

Tommy said nothing for a moment and Grace almost began to think he disagreed but only moments later, Tommy reacted. His hands reach up to cup Grace’s face and he pulls her lips down to his. When their lips connect, Grace can feel an ache in chest. She loves him excruciatingly. Whenever he’s not around, she grows lonely and longs for the moment they are together again. She has never felt a love this intense before Tommy and she knows she never will again. 

There’s a knock on the door of Tommy’s study that interrupts their kiss. They slowly pull away and Tommy pouts at Grace before speaking at whoever is behind that door. “Come in.”

Grace can tell it’s not Mary the second the person touches the doorknob. Mary is a sweet, quiet lady and she is always quiet when she opens a door. Sometimes she’s too quiet and catches Grace in awkward moments. Nevertheless, this person is not Mary. Instead, they loudly knock on the door and the second Tommy speaks, they clumsily turn the doorknob and stomp into Tommy’s study. 

“You bums better be decent!” Arthur’s voice carries through the entire room and Grace knows the maids must already be gossiping about Tommy’s rude brother Arthur. 

Grace stands up from Tommy’s lap, a giggle already falling from her lips. “Arthur! It’s so good to see you!”

Grace rushes past Tommy’s desk and greets Arthur with outstretched arms. Arthur gladly accepts the hug. As she hugs him, she can smell the cigars and whiskey off him. To most people, they would hate it but Grace has grown accustomed to this smell and it actually comforts her now. It reminds her not of Tommy now, but of Arthur as well.

When they pull away from each other, Grace looks over Arthur’s shoulder and her eyes catch a pretty blonde woman standing by the doorframe. Her arms are crossed over her chest and it seems as though she’s trying to make herself smaller by the second. She looks beyond nervous and by the photo Arthur had shown Grace last time she had seen him, Grace knows this girl to be Linda. 

Linda is beautiful. She has doe-like blue eyes and hair as blonde as Grace’s. Her hair, unlike Grace’s is pinned back. Grace’s hair is loose right now considering she is at home but if she was in Linda’s position, she knew she would have her hair styled in the same way. Her face is slim, yet round and her lips are in a line, nervous line. Grace hopes she can make her smile soon. She wears a grey blouse, buttoned to the top of her neck. It looks constraining and Grace instinctively touches her own neck. Grace’s buttons are slightly undone but she still feels her collar choke her neck as she looks at Linda’s neckline. Linda pairs her grey blouse with a black skirt, passing her shins only by a few inches. Her clothes are all mute. In fact, everything about Linda seems dull, except for one thing. There’s a gold crucifix wound around her neck that shines. It’s the only accessory she wears but nonetheless, she wears it beautifully.

“You must be Linda.” Grace walks past Arthur and slowly approaches Linda. She outstretches her hand, unsure whether Linda would be comfortable with a hug. “I’m Grace.”

Linda gives Grace a small smile and shakes her hand. “I am. Nice to meet you Grace.”

Grace tries to think of what to say to make sure Linda feels comfortable. Thankfully, Tommy introduces himself before too much time has passed. He shakes Linda’s hand and although he is no longer smiling, she can still tell he is happy for Arthur. She feels his presence beside her and she instantly feels relieved that he has taken the lead. The pain in her abdomen still remains and Grace is starting to think that these might be actual contractions. Before she can get too worried, she hears Tommy call her name.

“Grace?” His voice seems slightly worried and Grace knows that she must smile through the pain. She just can’t let him worry about her tonight.

She forces a smile as the pain continues on. “Uh, yes?”

“Mary said supper is ready.” Tommy informs her, knowing her mind was someone else when Mary entered but confused as to why she was paying attention. Grace had been fussing about this night for weeks and now that it was finally here, she seemed distracted. 

“Why don’t you ladies go, Tommy and I gotta talk about something privately, yeah?” Arthur glares at Tommy for a moment and Tommy only raises his brow. 

Grace knows what that look means. It's a Peaky Blinders business. If it were anything else, Arthur would not be so secretive. Grace wants to know what it is, especially since Arthur is being so secretive about the entire affair but she knows they would never let her stay, So, she’ll have to trick them. 

Grace nods at both Arthur and Tommy before looping her arm through Linda’s. Without a word, Grace leads Linda out of Tommy’s study. As they leave, Grace pretends to close the door all the way but she keeps it open only a little so she can come back and eavesdrop. 

As she walks down the hall with Linda, they don’t speak and Grace knows that this is her fault. She is being a terrible host but her mind is too preoccupied with the pain in her abdomen and Tommy’s secret affairs with Arthur. She had planned for night to be perfect and now, it was being ruined for things she never considered to factor in. Thankfully, before her mind could wander any longer, they enter the dining hall and Grace shows Linda where to sit. Although Linda is more than happy to sit, Grace refuses to and instead stands. She can see Linda is beyond confused and for the first time, she initiates the conversation.

“Do you need help to sit Grace?” Linda squeaks out in a nervous tone.

Grace shakes her head. Her curiosity is driving her insane and Grace knows she needs to eavesdrop to satisfy her. “I’m going to go see what those men are doing. You can stay here. Pardon me.”

Grace makes sure her steps are soft so she makes no noise. She knows that if either Tommy or Arthur catch wind that she is spying on them, their conversation will be cut short and Grace will know nothing. Thankfully, the floorboards do not creak as she steps on them, even though she is much heavier than usual. As she approaches Tommy’s study again, she can already hear Tommy and Arthur arguing. She would’ve thought something so secretive would make them whisper but apparently not. As she places her ear on top on the wooden door, she hears every sound, every breath, perfectly. So much for private.

“Tommy, I’m about to get married. I’m sorry, mate, but I can’t do this.” Arthur seems to be genuinely apologetic about something but Grace has no idea what it is. 

“Yeah, and Grace is about to fuckin’ give birth, but you don’t see me making excuses.” Tommy hisses. Grace can hear this index finger harshly press against Arthur’s chest.

“I’m not making excuses, Tom, but it’s not right. Now Grace told you not to mess with those bloody Russians and yet, here you are!” Arthur raises his voice but is interrupted by Tommy trying to shush him.

Russians. Fucking Russians? He promised he would lean on her next time they came around and yet, here he was, being secretive about doing business with them. They had just forgiven each other over the last argument and here Tommy was, starting new drama between them. Now, Grace felt betrayed and so, without thinking, she pushed the door wide open to come face to face with Tommy and Arthur. They both had bewildered looks on their faces as they saw an angry Grace at the door. Before any of them had time to react fully though, Grace was storming towards Tommy. Instinctively, Arthur moved away from the woman who he knew never missed a shot. She looked beyond angry and Arthur knew not to mess with Grace Shelby. Arthur was right. She was so angry that all the pain she had been feeling soon disappeared as all she could think about was how angry she was. 

“Russians, Tommy?” Grace yelled, grabbing a hold of Tommy’s forearm and pulling him closer towards her. 

“Grace -” Tommy tried to explain but the more he struggled to move away, the more Grace tightened her grip.

“Zip it, you bloody fool!” Grace’s face was red with anger. “You promised! You fucking promised!”

“That was before they offered me more money to deliver a shipment to them!” Tommy yelled back this time, ripping his arm away from Grace.

Grace felt her face get even more heated. “And you didn’t think that you might want to tell me this?” She felt bad for poor Arthur, who had to watch all of this unfold.

“You’re up the fuckin’ duff! Why would I want to worry you?” Tommy argued right back. He seemed as though he was right, which was unfortunate because Grace thought she was right. Two stubborn people never get anything done and that’s exactly what was happening.

“Why?” Grace gasps, partially because of the pain and because she was infuriated. “Because I’m your equal? Your partner in this bloody company? Because - fuck!”

All at once, the pain became too unbearable and the argument had sent her over the edge. The type of pain was something she never experienced. This pain rippled from the bottom of her pelvic region to her chest and immobilized her. It was unimaginable. In an effort not to completely collapse in the pain and worry Tommy, she reached out with both her arms and grabbed onto either side of him. She felt so weak that she let her knees cave in.

“Grace!” Tommy fearfully yelps out, holding onto Grace so that she doesn’t fall. “Darling, what’s wrong?”

Grace looks to the ground and sees a pool form around her ankles and drip down her legs. She swallows harshly, beyond terrified. “I’m in labour.” She breathlessly says before screaming in pain.

~

Tommy Shelby hated hospitals. Ever since he was a child, hospitals were a constant reminder of all the death and despair in the world. The last time he was here, he had been beaten within an inch of his life and greeted by Campbell. Here, with Campbell’s snarky grin, was where his life changed forever. Before that, Tommy remembered a time during the Great War where he watched his brother in arms die of sepsis, influenza, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever. These diseases infiltrated the bodies of his brothers and destroyed their souls. And all he could do was watch as the people he used to serve beside rot away. Now, whenever he thought of hospitals, he thought of the diseased bodies he watched burn. The only time those images ever left his mind was when he saw Grace. 

This time, the hospital was the only place he wanted to be. Grace, Tommy, Arthur and Linda all had arrived only moments ago and although Grace, Arthur and Linda were somewhat patient to see a doctor, Tommy was not. All of the terrible memories he had of hospitals seemed to be bubbling over and he tried to channel his unbearable feelings into helping Grace. 

“Where the fuck is the doc?” Tommy asked in an exasperated tone. He was pulling at the ends of his hair and pacing the waiting room. 

In front of him, Grace sat in a wheelchair, breathing harshly through her nose. She seemed extremely calm compared to Tommy. Almost too calm. “Tom, please sit. The nurse said a doctor will come out to see us soon.” Every time a contraction came, she grabbed ahold of Linda’s hand to squeeze. They had barely said two words to each other since they got to the hospital but she was a small comfort to Grace.

Tommy tried to steady his breathing as he continued to pace the room. To know Grace was in pain and he couldn’t do anything drove him mad. All Tommy ever wanted to do was control every situation and this was not a situation he could control. “Arthur,” Tommy looked to his brother who, although quiet, looked as nervous as Tommy, “if the doc doesn’t arrive in the next two minutes, I want you to find him and beat him to a bloody pulp.”

Arthur, his face red but solemn, nodded stiffly. Thankfully, before Grace had a chance to reprimand Tommy, the doors to the waiting room burst open, revealing a doctor and a nurse. The doctor wore a familiar white lab coat and had dark hair with a mustache. The nurse beside him had dark hair and darker skin, wearing a purple uniform and carrying a clipboard. Although she wore a stiff expression, she had the kindest eyes and Grace instantly felt relieved. Before, anyone could greet them, they already rushed to Grace’s side first.

The nurse spoke first, his face changing to a softer expression. “Miss Shelby?” 

Grace raised her hand, forcing a small smile through the pain. “Here.”

“I’m Lisa. This is Doctor Rossi.” The nurse pushed through Tommy, who seemed to be having a panic attack, and held onto the handlebars of the wheelchair. “We’re moving her to the delivery room.” She spoke to Tommy calmly, sensing his anxiety.

Just as the nurse began to push Grace forward, Tommy stepped in front of the wheelchair, preventing them from going any further. “Is she gonna be alright?”

Rossi pulled Tommy by the elbow so he was out of the way. “She is in labour. We’re going to move her to the delivery room. Stay here sir.”

Tommy ripped his elbow away from the man’s grasp, his eyes on Grace as she was being wheeled away from him. “Piss off. I’m coming with.”

Rossi smirked. “Unfortunately, men are not allowed in the delivery room.”

Tommy chuckles darkly, remaining completely still. “I’m fuckin’ coming. You think I trust you docs?”

“Sir -” Rossi began, promptly cut off by Arthur. Tommy’s brother stood beside Tommy, his eyes a deadly glare. Rossi gulped, recognizing their caps right away and knowing who they are. As an italian man, he had heard the horror stories of the Peaky Blinders and now, to see them up close, they were even more intimidating. With a deep breath, Rossi nodded and pointed to Tommy. “Fine, only you though.”

Tommy nodded to his brother, indirectly telling him to stand down, before turning on his heel and following Rossi through the doors of the waiting room. Behind those doors lay hundreds and hundreds of rooms all lines up beside each other. Everything was white. There were white tiles on the walls and floor coated in white paint. The doctors wore white lab coats and the nurses wore purple. They wore white face masks and white gloves. It almost blinded him with how much white there was. The only thing that distracted him was that in every room, a woman yelled out in pain. Tommy shivered. He fucking hated hospitals. He hated their smell, he hated the white tiles decorated on the walls, and he especially hated the screams of pain. He tried to focus on what was in front of him, not paying attention to the nurses covered in blood or the women in pain. He focused on the wheels of Grace’s chair. The rims were black and grey and they spun faster and faster the longer they walked. That wasn’t enough though. Soon, without even noticing at first, Tommy began to hear the sounds of shovels against the walls. He instinctively reached up to cup his ears but when that did not work, Tommy began to hum the tune of an old song. 

_The boy I love is up in the gallery, The boy I love is looking now at me._

Tommy’s mind went to the first time he heard Grace sing that song. He went back to that memory and imagined her standing on one of the chairs, singing for a pool of men. He remembered her work boots and how worn down they were. He remembered the colour of her blouse and how it fit her bodice perfectly. Most of all, he remembers the smile she wore when they made eye contact from across the bar. That had been the first time she had stopped the shovelling for him. He only wished it would stop now. 

Finally, the nurse turned to the right and into a room. Thankfully, they seemed to not be sharing a room with anyone else and Tommy was glad. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle anyone else’s screaming. He wasn’t sure if he would even be able to handle Grace’s. She had only screamed once and it had alarmed Tommy so much so that he could tell she refrained from showing that she was in pain. It made Tommy’s heart flutter to know that even in times where she should be selfish, she was still concerned about him.

Tommy watched as Grace stood up from the wheelchair and took a step forward. Her lips were pursed and she was perspiring but she refrained from even squeaking out in pain. Tommy knew why. She knew how much this was affecting him. Tommy hated himself for being so weak right now. He wished there was more he could do. 

As Grace situated herself on the bed, Tommy crossed the room and found a spot right beside Grace. He stood on the right side of her bed, almost in a defensive way. He was trying to protect her from her own body. 

Grace lay still for a moment, watching as the doctor seated himself between her legs. The nurse watched what he was doing carefully and ever so often, looked up and smiled at her. The second time she looked up to smile at Grace she also spoke. “Dilated 10 centimeters. Ready to push?”

Grace nodded, her eyes glancing up to Tommy. She could see the confusion on his face but, even deeper than that, she could tell there was something terribly wrong. She knew he was hearing the shoveling before he even had a chance to speak. It was the way his eyes seemed to look right through her. She smiled softly at him. He forced a small smile but Grace knew him too well. She watched as he tugged on both his ears, trying to stop the noises himself. She reached up to grab ahold of his hand and she squeezed it softly. His eyes were glazed but she knew he meant to say thank you. The shoveling stopped the second she touched his hand. Tommy held on tight and promised himself that he would keep Grace safe. Even if it was the last thing he would do. She had done so much for him. He loved her so much, and now she was giving him a child.

“I’m ready.” Grace looked back to the nurse, her hand still holding Tommy’s.

And so, she began to push.

~

Charles Shelby was born in the wee hours of early February 1923, making him the first child of Grace and Thomas Shelby. On that blessed day, a new era of Shelby was born. An era that Tommy hoped, would not know war like he had or ever have to fight dirty. Who would grow up in a good, loving home unlike he had. Tommy did not think he could love something so much but here he was, a baby he had known for only a few hours, and he had already come to the conclusion that he would die for this child. As Grace slept beside him, Tommy sat and spoke to his child about the dreams he had for him.

“Hopefully you won’t end up like me, eh?” Tommy chuckled, watching as his son sucked on his pinky finger. “Won’t have to ever do the dirty work I had to do to get rich. Maybe you’ll even get yourself an education, huh? What do you say, Charlie?”

Charlie stared at Tommy, the colour of his eyes mirroring Grace’s perfectly. They even gave him the same comfort Grace’s eyes gave him. He pulled the child closer into his chest and slowly rocked him back and forth, humming a familiar tune. Soon, without even realizing it, Tommy began to sing to the child.

“The boy I love is up in the gallery,” His voice was just above a whisper and it was not as clear as Grace’s but nevertheless, he continued to sing. “The boy I love is looking now at me.”

Before he could finish the lyric, a beautiful melody came from beside him. “There he is, can't you see, waving his handkerchief.”

Tommy stopped almost immediately, looking to his right to see a groggy Grace. Her smile was radiant as she watched the two men she loved the most in this world bond. “He’s so quiet for a newborn.”

Tommy smiled. “He’s not just any newborn; he’s a Shelby.”

Grace chuckled, her arm outstretched towards Tommy. “You’re right.”

With one arm, Tommy cradled his newborn and with the other, Tommy reached for Grace’s hand. “Grace, I’m sorry for not telling you 'bout the Russians.”  
Grace continued to smile softly at him. “I love you Thomas Shelby. You keep us safe.”

Tommy nodded, a smile he would only ever show Grace written across his lips. “I will keep you safe.”

And so, the new couple lay there for what seemed like forever, spending time with their newborn child. There would come a time where they face their greatest threat and, as equals, they would have to use their wits. But that time was not for a while and for now, Tommy and Grace cherished the moments where they weren’t the most feared couple in Birmingham. They were just Grace and Tommy Shelby. Two people who were undoubtedly and fiercely in love with each other. 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg so sorry this took so long, uni makes me so busy! i hope you haven't forgot about me lol. i will not be continuing this series but I will be starting some new tommy and grace fics for stayed tuned for those! thanks so much for all the love, i've had so much fun making this series and reading all your suggestions. please feel free to comment and suggest some new fic ideas. as always, love you guys <3


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